# François Jacob

_French biologist and geneticist, winner of the Nobel Prize in 1965_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/francois-jacob
Last updated: 2026-10-31

> François Jacob (French: [ʒakɔb]; 17 June 1920 – 19 April 2013) was a French biologist. He shared the 1965 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Jacques Monod and André Lwoff "for their discoveries concerning genetic control of enzyme and virus synthesis". He and Monod originated the idea that control of enzyme levels in all cells occurs through regulation of transcription. For his work in the French Resistance, he received the Cross of Liberation, the Légion d'honneur and Croix de guerre.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 17 June 1920 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q218311#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Nancy ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q218311#P19))
- **Died:** 20 April 2013 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q218311#P570))
- **Place of death:** 14th arrondissement of Paris ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q218311#P20))
- **Citizenship:** France ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q218311#P27))
- **Occupation:** biochemist; university teacher; geneticist; physiologist; autobiographer; professor ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q218311#P106))
- **Education:** Lycée Carnot; Paris Medical Faculty ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q218311#P69))
- **Positions held:** chancellor (2007–2011); Member of the Académie française (19 December 1996 – 20 April 2013) ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q218311#P39))
- **Awards:** Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine; Grand Prix Charles-Leopold Mayer; Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour; Croix de guerre 1939–1945; Grand Officer of the National Order of Merit; Companion of the Liberation; Sir Hans Krebs Medal; Leeuwenhoek Lecture; honorary doctor of the University of Valencia; Foreign Member of the Royal Society; honorary doctor from the NOVA University Lisbon; honorary doctorate of the Autonomous University of Madrid; Arnold-Reymond prize; Mendel Medal ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q218311#P166))

## About

He wrote popular science, and in 1994 received the inaugural Lewis Thomas Prize.

## Questions

**When was François Jacob born?**  
François Jacob was born on 17 June 1920 in Nancy.

**What positions has François Jacob held?**  
Positions held by François Jacob include: chancellor (2007–2011); Member of the Académie française (1996–2013).

**Where did François Jacob study?**  
François Jacob was educated at Lycée Carnot, Paris Medical Faculty.

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## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): François Jacob](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_Jacob) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q218311](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q218311) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: François Jacob nobel.jpg by Unknown author Unknown author (Public domain)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fran%C3%A7ois_Jacob_nobel.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article François Jacob, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: François Jacob nobel.jpg — Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain.

## Cite this page

"François Jacob". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/francois-jacob. Retrieved 4 November 2026.