Ada Yonath's Milestones

Israeli crystallographer Ada Yonath won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her groundbreaking research on the structure of ribosomes, advancing the field of molecular biology.
1939

Birth

Ada Yonath was born in Jerusalem, in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine, to Hillel and Esther Yonath.

Family June 22, 1939
1940

Early childhood

Grew up in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, facing economic hardship after her father's early death.

Other January 1, 1940 - January 1, 1950
1949

Father died

Her father died when she was 11, and the family faced economic hardship.

Family January 1, 1949
1959

Attended Hebrew University

Studied chemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, earning her bachelor's degree.

Education January 1, 1959 - January 1, 1962
1962

Master's degree

Completed a master's degree in biochemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Education January 1, 1962 - January 1, 1964
1966

PhD at Weizmann Institute

Earned her PhD in X-ray crystallography at the Weizmann Institute of Science, studying under Wolf Prize laureate Prof. M. F. Perutz.

Education January 1, 1966 - January 1, 1968
1969

Postdoctoral research

Conducted postdoctoral research at Carnegie Mellon University and MIT in the United States, focusing on protein crystallography.

Career January 1, 1969 - January 1, 1970
1970

Established protein crystallography lab

Founded the first protein crystallography laboratory in Israel at the Weizmann Institute of Science.

Career January 1, 1970
1974

Sabbaticals abroad

Took sabbaticals at Max Planck Institutes in Germany and the University of Chicago, expanding her research network.

Career January 1, 1974 - January 1, 1979
1979

Pioneered ribosome crystallization

Pioneered techniques for crystallizing ribosomes, overcoming skepticism and technical barriers.

Achievement January 1, 1979 - January 1, 1986
1980

First ribosome crystals

Produced the first ribosome crystals, enabling structural studies of these complex molecular machines.

Achievement January 1, 1980 - January 1, 1986
1986

International collaborations

Collaborated with scientists worldwide to advance ribosome research and structural biology.

Career January 1, 1986 - January 1, 2000
2000

First ribosome structure

Determined the first high-resolution structure of a large ribosomal subunit, revolutionizing molecular biology.

Achievement January 1, 2000
2002

Wolf Prize in Chemistry

Received the Wolf Prize in Chemistry for her work on ribosome structure and function.

Achievement January 1, 2002
2009

Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (shared with Venkatraman Ramakrishnan and Thomas Steitz) for studies of the structure and function of the ribosome.

Achievement October 7, 2009
2010

Leadership and legacy

Continued to lead research at the Weizmann Institute, inspiring generations of scientists and advancing structural biology.

Other January 1, 2010 - June 5, 2025
2011

Honors and memberships

Elected to the US National Academy of Sciences, the Israel Academy of Sciences, and received numerous honorary doctorates.

Achievement January 1, 2011 - June 5, 2025