# George Emil Palade

_Romanian cell biologist, physician and Nobel laureate (1912–2008)_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/george-emil-palade
Last updated: 2026-11-01

> George Emil Palade  (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈdʒe̯ordʒe eˈmil paˈlade] ; November 19, 1912 – October 7, 2008) was a Romanian-American cell biologist. In 1974 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine along with Albert Claude and Christian de Duve. The prize was granted for his innovations in electron microscopy and cell fractionation which together laid the foundations of modern molecular cell biology, the most notable discovery being the ribosomes of the endoplasmic reticulum – which he first described in 1955.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 19 November 1912 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q219718#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Iași ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q219718#P19))
- **Died:** 7 October 2008 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q219718#P570))
- **Place of death:** Del Mar ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q219718#P20))
- **Citizenship:** Romania; United States ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q219718#P27))
- **Occupation:** physician; cell biologist; chemist; inventor; university teacher; physicist ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q219718#P106))
- **Education:** University of Bucharest; Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu National College ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q219718#P69))
- **Spouse:** Marilyn Farquhar ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q219718#P26))
- **Awards:** Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine; Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research; Canada Gairdner International Award; Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize; Dickson Prize in Science; E. B. Wilson Medal; Foreign Member of the Royal Society; honorary doctorate from University of Paris-XI; Schleiden Medal; National Medal of Science; Order of the Star of Romania; Sterling Professor; honorary doctor of the University of Vienna ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q219718#P166))

## About

Palade also received the U.S. National Medal of Science in Biological Sciences for "pioneering discoveries of a host of fundamental, highly organized structures in living cells" in 1986, and was previously elected a Member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in 1961. In 1968 he was elected as an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Microscopical Society (HonFRMS) and in 1984 he became a Foreign Member of the Royal Society (ForMemRS).

## Questions

**When was George Emil Palade born?**  
George Emil Palade was born on 19 November 1912 in Iași.

**Where did George Emil Palade study?**  
George Emil Palade was educated at University of Bucharest, Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu National College.

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## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): George Emil Palade](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Emil_Palade) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q219718](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q219718) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: RO033-16.jpg by Post of Romania (Public domain)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RO033-16.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article George Emil Palade, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: RO033-16.jpg — Post of Romania, Public domain.

## Cite this page

"George Emil Palade". DigiNepal. Last updated 1 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/george-emil-palade. Retrieved 5 November 2026.