# John Cornforth

_Australian-British chemist_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/john-cornforth
Last updated: 2026-10-31

> Sir John Warcup Cornforth Jr.,  (7 September 1917 – 8 December 2013) was an Australian–British chemist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1975 for his work on the stereochemistry of enzyme-catalysed reactions, becoming the only Nobel laureate born in New South Wales.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 7 September 1917 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q135154#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Sydney ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q135154#P19))
- **Died:** 8 December 2013 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q135154#P570))
- **Place of death:** Brighton ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q135154#P20))
- **Citizenship:** Australia ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q135154#P27))
- **Occupation:** chemist; university teacher ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q135154#P106))
- **Education:** University of Sydney; St Catherine's College; Sydney Boys High School; University of Oxford ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q135154#P69))
- **Spouse:** Rita Harradence ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q135154#P26))
- **Awards:** Fellow of the Royal Society; Commander of the Order of the British Empire; Copley Medal; Corday-Morgan Prize; Royal Medal; Nobel Prize in Chemistry; Centenary Medal; Companion of the Order of Australia; Australian of the Year; 1851 Research Fellowship; Flintoff medal; Ernest Guenther Award; Portland Press Excellence in Science Award; Davy Medal; Corresponding Member of the Australian Academy of Science ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q135154#P166))

## About

Cornforth investigated enzymes that catalyse structural changes in organic substrates by replacing specific hydrogen atoms within their chains and rings. In his syntheses and descriptions of the structure of various terpenes, olefins, and steroids, Cornforth determined precisely which hydrogen atoms were displaced by an enzyme to drive a given transformation, allowing him to detail the biosynthesis of cholesterol. For this work, he won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1975 with Vladimir Prelog, and was knighted in 1977.

## Questions

**When was John Cornforth born?**  
John Cornforth was born on 7 September 1917 in Sydney.

**Where did John Cornforth study?**  
John Cornforth was educated at University of Sydney, St Catherine's College, Sydney Boys High School, University of Oxford.

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## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): John Cornforth](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cornforth) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q135154](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q135154) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: John Cornforth 1975.jpg by Unknown (Associated Press) (Public domain)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Cornforth_1975.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article John Cornforth, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: John Cornforth 1975.jpg — Unknown (Associated Press), Public domain.

## Cite this page

"John Cornforth". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/john-cornforth. Retrieved 7 November 2026.