# Maurice Wilkins

_New Zealand-born English physicist and biologist_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/maurice-wilkins
Last updated: 2026-11-05

> Maurice Hugh Frederick Wilkins was a New Zealand-born British biophysicist and Nobel laureate whose research spanned multiple areas of physics and biophysics, contributing to the scientific understanding of phosphorescence, isotope separation, optical microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. He is most noted for initiating and leading early X-ray diffraction studies on DNA at King's College London, and for his pivotal role in enabling the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 15 December 1916 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q184659#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Pongaroa ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q184659#P19))
- **Died:** 5 October 2004 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q184659#P570))
- **Place of death:** Blackheath ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q184659#P20))
- **Citizenship:** New Zealand; United Kingdom ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q184659#P27))
- **Occupation:** biophysicist; physician; physicist; crystallographer; researcher; author ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q184659#P106))
- **Education:** University of Cambridge; University of Birmingham; King Edward's School; St John's College ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q184659#P69))
- **Spouse:** Patricia Ann Chidgey; Ruth Wilkins ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q184659#P26))
- **Awards:** Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine; Commander of the Order of the British Empire; Fellow of the Royal Society; Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research; EMBO Membership; Honorary member of the British Biophysical Society ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q184659#P166))

## Questions

**When was Maurice Wilkins born?**  
Maurice Wilkins was born on 15 December 1916 in Pongaroa.

**Where did Maurice Wilkins study?**  
Maurice Wilkins was educated at University of Cambridge, University of Birmingham, King Edward's School, St John's College.

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## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Maurice Wilkins](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurice_Wilkins) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q184659](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q184659) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Maurice Wilkins nobel.jpg by Unknown author Unknown author (Public domain)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Maurice_Wilkins_nobel.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

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

## Cite this page

"Maurice Wilkins". DigiNepal. Last updated 5 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/maurice-wilkins. Retrieved 5 November 2026.