# H. Robert Horvitz

_American biologist_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/h-robert-horvitz
Last updated: 2026-10-31

> Howard Robert Horvitz ForMemRS is an American biologist whose research on the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans was awarded the 2002 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, together with Sydney Brenner and John E. Sulston, whose "seminal discoveries concerning the genetic regulation of organ development and programmed cell death" were "important for medical research and have shed new light on the pathogenesis of many diseases".

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 8 May 1947 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q295659#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Chicago ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q295659#P19))
- **Citizenship:** United States ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q295659#P27))
- **Occupation:** biologist; university teacher; geneticist; physician ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q295659#P106))
- **Education:** Harvard University; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Niles East High School; Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q295659#P69))
- **Spouse:** Martha Constantine-Paton ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q295659#P26))
- **Official website:** web.mit.edu/horvitz/www ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q295659#P856))
- **Awards:** Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine; Harvard Centennial Medal; Canada Gairdner International Award; Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize; Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize; Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. Prize; Gruber Prize in Genetics; March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology; Rosenstiel Award; Bristol-Myers Squibb Award for Distinguished Achievement in Neuroscience Research; Genetics Society of America Medal; W. Alden Spencer Award; Grand Prix Charles-Leopold Mayer; NAS Award in Molecular Biology; Novartis-Drew Award ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q295659#P166))

## Questions

**When was H. Robert Horvitz born?**  
H. Robert Horvitz was born on 8 May 1947 in Chicago.

**Where did H. Robert Horvitz study?**  
H. Robert Horvitz was educated at Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Niles East High School, Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science.

## Related

- [Jan Koum](https://diginpl.com/people/jan-koum)
- [Joe Gebbia](https://diginpl.com/people/joe-gebbia)
- [Luke Nosek](https://diginpl.com/people/luke-nosek)
- [Miriam Adelson](https://diginpl.com/people/miriam-adelson)
- [Adam Riess](https://diginpl.com/people/adam-riess)
- [Alan J. Heeger](https://diginpl.com/people/alan-j-heeger)
- [Alfred G. Gilman](https://diginpl.com/people/alfred-g-gilman)
- [Alfred Hershey](https://diginpl.com/people/alfred-hershey)
- [Allan MacLeod Cormack](https://diginpl.com/people/allan-macleod-cormack)
- [Andrea M. Ghez](https://diginpl.com/people/andrea-m-ghez)
- [Andrew Fire](https://diginpl.com/people/andrew-fire)
- [Andrew Schally](https://diginpl.com/people/andrew-schally)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): H. Robert Horvitz](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._Robert_Horvitz) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q295659](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q295659) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article H. Robert Horvitz, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0).

## Cite this page

"H. Robert Horvitz". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/h-robert-horvitz. Retrieved 4 November 2026.