John M. Jumper, a 2007 Marshall Scholar, Awarded Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Researcher John Jumper poses for a photo at the Google DeepMind offices in London, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024 after being awarded with the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.(AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Dr. John M. Jumper, a Marshall Scholar from the class of 2007, has been awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his pioneering work in developing artificial intelligence for protein structure prediction. Dr. Jumper, alongside fellow laureates David Baker and Demis Hassabis, has transformed the field of molecular biology through breakthrough innovations that are revolutionizing medicine, biotechnology, and other fields.
The Nobel Committee recognized Jumper and his team for their contribution to AlphaFold, an AI system that has decoded the structures of hundreds of thousands of proteins, opening new frontiers in drug discovery and biological research.
"John Jumper and his colleagues’ groundbreaking contributions to the field of chemistry through artificial intelligence are changing the way we understand life on a molecular level,” said Dr. Nell Breyer, Executive Director of the Association of Marshall Scholars. “This work advancing comprehension of protein folding, has significant implications for human health and future advances in medicine. John is a recent Marshall Scholar and the second, in the scholarship’s seventy year history, to receive a Nobel Prize in chemistry.”
"John Jumper's remarkable achievement is a testament to the power of collaboration and the importance of global scientific exchange, which the Marshall Scholarship has long championed,” stated Scott Grinsell, President of the Association of Marshall Scholars. “We congratulate him on this extraordinary accomplishment and celebrate the impact of his work."
This is the second time a Marshall Scholar has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry – the first being Roger Tsien (Marshall Scholar 1972) in 2008 – underscoring the program's enduring legacy in supporting leaders at the forefront of their fields.
As a Marshall Scholar, John Jumper studied theoretical condensed matter physics at the University of Cambridge at St. Edmund’s College.
About the Association of Marshall Scholars
The Association of Marshall Scholars works to strengthen US-UK ties and also the Marshall Scholarship. Historically, the transatlantic alliance has served as a lynchpin for liberal democracy, prosperity and global peace. A valuable thread of this relationship has been the Marshall Scholarship, an educational program strengthening international exchange and advancement in nearly every field of human endeavor.