On October 9, 2024, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced that the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to David Baker (1/2) and to Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper (1/2) for their groundbreaking work in computational protein design and protein structure prediction.
This prestigious recognition highlights the significant contributions of Dr. Brian Kuhlman, a current faculty member at UNC, whose work during his postdoctoral fellowship with David Baker played a crucial role in this achievement.

Dr. Kuhlman’s contributions are referenced in the Nobel Prize documentation, specifically in reference #17, which details the breakthrough in computational de novo protein design. In 2003, David Baker and his team, including Dr. Kuhlman, published the design and crystallographic validation of a 93-residue α/β-protein named Top7. This pioneering work laid the foundation for advancements in protein design and has had a lasting impact on the field of chemistry.
Dr. Kuhlman said, “I am super excited for David Baker and all the people that have contributed to our field. For me personally, it was neat to see Top7 and Rosetta mentioned in the Nobel Prize write-up. The time I spent in David’s lab developing the protein design module in Rosetta and designing Top7 was incredibly fun and rewarding. Equally exciting has been seeing all the wonderful proteins that people have designed using Rosetta and now even more powerful AI-based methods. These include new vaccines, enzymes and therapeutic proteins”
We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Brian Kuhlman, for his remarkable achievement, being mentioned as the first author on one of the key publications that led to the Nobel Prize. This recognition underscores the importance of collaborative research and the significant contributions of our faculty to scientific innovation. Read more about this incredible achievement https://www.nobelprize.org/uploads/2024/10/advanced-chemistryprize2024.pdf
Additional links:
The Nobel Prize website press release for the 2024 Chemistry prize
NobelPrize.org The Nobel Prize in Chemistry