# Frances Arnold

_Nobel prize winning US scientist and engineer (born 1956)_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/frances-arnold
Last updated: 2026-10-31

> Frances Hamilton Arnold (born July 25, 1956) is an American chemical engineer and Nobel Laureate. She is the Linus Pauling Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering and Biochemistry at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). In 2018, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for pioneering the use of directed evolution to engineer enzymes.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 25 July 1956 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4273363#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Pittsburgh ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4273363#P19))
- **Citizenship:** United States ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4273363#P27))
- **Occupation:** biochemist; inventor; university teacher; engineer ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4273363#P106))
- **Education:** Princeton University; University of California, Berkeley; Taylor Allderdice High School ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4273363#P69))
- **Spouse:** Jay Bailey ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4273363#P26))
- **Official website:** che.caltech.edu/faculty/arnold_f/index.html ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4273363#P856))
- **Positions held:** board of directors member (since 9 December 2019) ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4273363#P39))
- **Awards:** National Medal of Technology and Innovation; Charles Stark Draper Prize; Millennium Technology Prize; Garvan–Olin Medal; FASEB Excellence in Science Award; National Inventors Hall of Fame; Nobel Prize in Chemistry; Raymond and Beverly Sackler Prize in Convergence Research; Society of Women Engineers Achievement Award; Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering; BBC 100 Women; Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering; Bower Award and Prize for Achievement in Science; Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; Benjamin Franklin Medal ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4273363#P166))
- **X (Twitter):** francesarnold ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4273363#P2002))

## About

In 2019, Alphabet Inc. announced that Arnold had joined its board of directors. For the length of his presidency, she also served as an external co-chair of President Joe Biden's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST).

## Questions

**When was Frances Arnold born?**  
Frances Arnold was born on 25 July 1956 in Pittsburgh.

**What positions has Frances Arnold held?**  
Positions held by Frances Arnold include: board of directors member (since 9 December 2019).

**Where did Frances Arnold study?**  
Frances Arnold was educated at Princeton University, University of California, Berkeley, Taylor Allderdice High School.

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## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Frances Arnold](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Arnold) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q4273363](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4273363) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Frances Arnold in 2021 at Caltech 01 (cropped).jpg by Christopher Michel (CC BY-SA 4.0)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Frances_Arnold_in_2021_at_Caltech_01_(cropped).jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Frances Arnold, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Frances Arnold in 2021 at Caltech 01 (cropped).jpg — Christopher Michel, CC BY-SA 4.0.

## Cite this page

"Frances Arnold". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/frances-arnold. Retrieved 4 November 2026.