Garfield Alum Awarded Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Summary: David Baker, a professor of biochemistry at the University of Washington School of Medicine, is a 1980 graduate of Garfield High School.
Photo credit: Ian C. Haydon/UW Medicine Institute for Protein Design
David Baker Recognized for Creating New Kinds of Proteins
David Baker, a professor of biochemistry at the University of Washington School of Medicine, was awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences made the announcement Oct. 9.
Baker is a 1980 graduate of Garfield High School. He also attended Montlake Elementary and Meany Middle School.
As a professor and director of the UW Medicine Institute for Protein Design, his groundbreaking work in computational protein design is revolutionizing the field of science. According to the Academy, Baker “has succeeded with the almost impossible feat of building entirely new kinds of proteins.”
In a press release, the Academy described Baker’s work as “imaginative.”
“Proteins generally consist of 20 different amino acids, which can be described as life’s building blocks,” the statement read. “In 2003, Baker succeeded in using these blocks to design a new protein unlike any other. Since then, his research group has produced one imaginative protein creation after another, including proteins that can be used as pharmaceuticals, vaccines, nanomaterials and tiny sensors.”
Earlier this year, Baker was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in health by TIME magazine.
Baker received his Ph.D. in 1989 from University of California, Berkeley.
His achievements inspire us all, proving that with passion and dedication, incredible things are possible from our classrooms to the global stage.
