# Dorothy Hodgkin

_British chemist_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/dorothy-hodgkin
Last updated: 2026-10-31

> Dorothy Mary Crowfoot Hodgkin (née  Crowfoot; 12 May 1910 – 29 July 1994) was an English chemist who advanced the technique of X-ray crystallography to determine the structure of biomolecules, which became essential for structural biology. She received the 1964 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, and is the only British woman scientist to have been awarded a Nobel Prize.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 12 May 1910 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7487#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Cairo ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7487#P19))
- **Died:** 29 July 1994 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7487#P570))
- **Place of death:** Ilmington ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7487#P20))
- **Citizenship:** United Kingdom; United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7487#P27))
- **Occupation:** chemist; biochemist; crystallographer; biophysicist; physicist ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7487#P106))
- **Education:** Somerville College; Newnham College; Sir John Leman High School; University of Oxford ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7487#P69))
- **Spouse:** Thomas Lionel Hodgkin ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7487#P26))
- **Positions held:** Chancellor of the University of Bristol (1970–1988) ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7487#P39))
- **Awards:** Fellow of the Royal Society; Nobel Prize in Chemistry; Order of Merit; Copley Medal; Lomonosov Gold Medal; Royal Medal; Lenin Peace Prize; Honorary doctor of the University of Zagreb; Royal Society Bakerian Medal; Fellow of the Royal Institute of Chemistry; Banting Medal; Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry; Austrian Decoration for Science and Art; Baly Medal ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7487#P166))

## About

Among her most influential discoveries are the confirmation of the structure of penicillin as previously surmised by Edward Abraham and Ernst Boris Chain; and mapping the structure of vitamin B12, for which in 1964 she became the third woman to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Hodgkin also elucidated the structure of insulin in 1969 after 35 years of work.

Hodgkin used the name "Dorothy Crowfoot" until twelve years after marrying Thomas Lionel Hodgkin, when she began using "Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin". Hodgkin is referred to as "Dorothy Hodgkin" by the Royal Society (when referring to its sponsorship of the Dorothy Hodgkin fellowship), and by Somerville College. The National Archives of the United Kingdom refer to her as "Dorothy Mary Crowfoot Hodgkin". The case of her Nobel prize is inscribed 'Crowfoot Hodgkin'.

## Questions

**When was Dorothy Hodgkin born?**  
Dorothy Hodgkin was born on 12 May 1910 in Cairo.

**What positions has Dorothy Hodgkin held?**  
Positions held by Dorothy Hodgkin include: Chancellor of the University of Bristol (1970–1988).

**Where did Dorothy Hodgkin study?**  
Dorothy Hodgkin was educated at Somerville College, Newnham College, Sir John Leman High School, University of Oxford.

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- [Alexander Fleming](https://diginpl.com/people/alexander-fleming)
- [Jane Goodall](https://diginpl.com/people/jane-goodall)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Dorothy Hodgkin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Hodgkin) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikipedia (Nepali): डोर्थी क्रोफट हडकिन](https://ne.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%A1%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A5%E0%A5%80_%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%AB%E0%A4%9F_%E0%A4%B9%E0%A4%A1%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%A8) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q7487](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7487) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Professor Dorothy Hodgkin.jpg by University of Bristol (CC BY-SA 2.0)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Professor_Dorothy_Hodgkin.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Dorothy Hodgkin, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Professor Dorothy Hodgkin.jpg — University of Bristol, CC BY-SA 2.0.

## Cite this page

"Dorothy Hodgkin". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/dorothy-hodgkin. Retrieved 5 November 2026.