# Melvin Calvin

_American biochemist (1911–1997)_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/melvin-calvin
Last updated: 2026-10-30

> Melvin Ellis Calvin was an American biochemist known for discovering the Calvin cycle along with Andrew Benson and James Bassham. He was awarded the 1961 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for his research on the carbon dioxide assimilation in plants". He spent most of his five-decade career at the University of California, Berkeley.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 8 April 1911 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q49347#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Saint Paul ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q49347#P19))
- **Died:** 8 January 1997 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q49347#P570))
- **Place of death:** Berkeley ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q49347#P20))
- **Citizenship:** United States ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q49347#P27))
- **Occupation:** chemist; biochemist; university teacher; biologist; engineer ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q49347#P106))
- **Education:** University of Minnesota; University of Manchester; Michigan Technological University; Central High School (Detroit) ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q49347#P69))
- **Spouse:** Genevieve Calvin ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q49347#P26))
- **Awards:** Guggenheim Fellowship; Centenary Prize; Glenn T. Seaborg Award for Nuclear Chemistry; Remsen Award; William H. Nichols Medal; Foreign Member of the Royal Society; Nobel Prize in Chemistry; Davy Medal; Royal Society Bakerian Medal; Royal Society Bakerian Medal; A. I. Virtanen Award; Willard Gibbs Award; honorary doctorate from University of Paris-XII; Priestley Medal; American Institute of Chemists Gold Medal ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q49347#P166))

## Questions

**When was Melvin Calvin born?**  
Melvin Calvin was born on 8 April 1911 in Saint Paul.

**Where did Melvin Calvin study?**  
Melvin Calvin was educated at University of Minnesota, University of Manchester, Michigan Technological University, Central High School (Detroit).

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## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Melvin Calvin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melvin_Calvin) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q49347](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q49347) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Melvin Calvin.jpg by "Photolab" (Public domain)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Melvin_Calvin.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Melvin Calvin, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Melvin Calvin.jpg — "Photolab", Public domain.

## Cite this page

"Melvin Calvin". DigiNepal. Last updated 30 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/melvin-calvin. Retrieved 15 November 2026.