Contents
Ada Yonath
Revealing the structure of the ribosome, the cell’s protein-making machinery.
Ribosome crystals · Structural maps
- Born
- 22 June 1939
- Birthplace
- Jerusalem
- Died
- 31 August 2026
More people
Ada Yonath
Ada Yonath was an Israeli structural biologist whose crystallography helped explain how ribosomes build proteins and how antibiotics interfere.
Early life
Jerusalem
Grew up in a family with limited means and helped support it through tutoring.
Training
Studied at Hebrew University and earned a Weizmann Institute doctorate in 1968.
Career
- 1970
Weizmann laboratory
Established a protein crystallography laboratory.
- 1980s–2000s
International research
Led ribosome studies across Weizmann and research facilities in Germany.
- 2009
Nobel recognition
Shared the chemistry prize with Venki Ramakrishnan and Thomas Steitz.
Contributions
Ribosome crystals
Pursued crystals suitable for studying a complex cellular machine.
Structural maps
Helped resolve ribosomal subunits at high resolution.
Antibiotic binding
Explored how antibiotics attach to ribosomes and block their function.
Beyond the lab
Family
Raised a daughter who became a physician.
Recognition
Became the first Israeli woman to receive a Nobel Prize.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Institutional biography and research ↗Weizmann Institute obituary (2026) ↗Photo: Staff photographer. CC BY-SA 3.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
