Walter Gilbert Biography

Walter Gilbert is an American biochemist and physicist who won a share of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1980. He is also an internationally acclaimed pioneer in molecular biology. The son of a prominent economist and a psychologist, he grew up in an intellectually stimulating environment and developed a voracious appetite for reading. He loved science from an early age and as a young boy became a member of a minerological society and an astronomical society. While studying in high school he became drawn to inorganic chemistry and nuclear physics. A brilliant student, he was easily accepted into the Harvard University and graduated with a degree in physics. Then he proceeded to the Cambridge University for his doctorate and earned his Ph.D. in Physics under the supervision of the Nobel laureate Abdus Salam. He returned to Harvard to begin his academic career and joined the faculty as a lecturer in physics. Over the years he would serve as assistant professor of physics, associate professor of biophysics, and professor of biochemistry before becoming the American Cancer Society Professor of Molecular Biology. In addition to his academic career, he is also a co-founder of the biotech start-up companies Biogen and Myriad Genetics. A multi-faceted personality, he launched an artistic career centered on digital photography post his retirement.