dabaker@uw.edu | (he/him)
ipdadmin@uw.edu | Executive Assistant Zari Magness, MS (she/her)
mediarelations@uw.edu | Press Inquiries
Nobel Laureate David Baker is a professor of biochemistry, HHMI investigator, and the director of the Institute for Protein Design at the University of Washington School of Medicine. The Baker Lab develops protein design software and uses it to create molecules that solve challenges in medicine, technology, and sustainability. Among his recent work is the development of powerful machine-learning methods for generating functional proteins.
David is also an adjunct professor of genome sciences, bioengineering, chemical engineering, computer science, and physics at the University of Washington. He has published over 640 research papers, co-founded 21 companies, and been awarded more than 100 patents. Ninety of his mentees have gone on to independent faculty positions.
David is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences and a recipient of numerous awards, including the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. TIME named him among the world’s 100 Most Influential People in health.
He received his PhD in biochemistry with Randy Schekman at the University of California, Berkeley, and did postdoctoral work in biophysics with David Agard at UCSF.
Awards
- 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
- 2023 Nadrian C. Seeman Nanoscience Prize, International Society for Nanoscale Science, Computation and Engineering
- 2022 Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Biomedicine, BBVA Foundation
- 2022 Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences
- 2021 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences
- 2018 Hans Neurath Award, Protein Society
- 2014 David Perlman Memorial Award, American Chemical Society
- 2012 Centenary Award, Biochemical Society
- 2011 Inventor of the Year Award, University of Washington
- 2008 Sackler Prize in Biophysics
- 2004 AAAS Newcomb-Cleveland Prize
- 2004 Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology, Foresight Institute
- 2002 Overton Prize, International Society for Computational Biology
- 2000 Young Investigator Award, Protein Society
- 1995 Young Investigator Award, Beckman Foundation
- 1994 Young Investigator Award, National Science Foundation
- 1994 Packard Fellowship in Science and Engineering
Additional Resources
The biography on this page may be used for all speaking arrangements, in whole or in part, as can this photo [image credit: UW].