# Oliver Smithies

_Biochemistry, genetics, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2007_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/oliver-smithies
Last updated: 2026-10-31

> Oliver Smithies was a British-American geneticist and physical biochemist. He is known for introducing starch as a medium for gel electrophoresis in 1955, and for the discovery, simultaneously with Mario Capecchi and Martin Evans, of the technique of homologous recombination of transgenic DNA with genomic DNA, a much more reliable method of altering animal genomes than previously used, and the technique behind gene targeting and knockout mice. He received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2007 for his genetics work.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 23 June 1925 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q216318#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Halifax ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q216318#P19))
- **Died:** 10 January 2017 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q216318#P570))
- **Place of death:** Chapel Hill ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q216318#P20))
- **Citizenship:** United States; United Kingdom ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q216318#P27))
- **Occupation:** biochemist; university teacher; geneticist ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q216318#P106))
- **Education:** Balliol College ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q216318#P69))
- **Spouse:** Nobuyo Maeda ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q216318#P26))
- **Awards:** Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research; Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine; Wolf Prize in Medicine; Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal; Canada Gairdner International Award; Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award; Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. Prize; March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology; Massry Prize; Bristol-Myers Squibb Award for Distinguished Achievement in Cardiovascular Research; Foreign Member of the Royal Society; North Carolina Award for Science; American Institute of Chemists Gold Medal; Great Immigrants Award; Clarivate Citation Laureates ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q216318#P166))

## Questions

**When was Oliver Smithies born?**  
Oliver Smithies was born on 23 June 1925 in Halifax.

**Where did Oliver Smithies study?**  
Oliver Smithies was educated at Balliol College.

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## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Oliver Smithies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Smithies) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q216318](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q216318) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Oliver Smithies HD2009 AIC Gold Medal portrait (cropped).JPG by Douglas A. Lockard (CC BY-SA 3.0)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oliver_Smithies_HD2009_AIC_Gold_Medal_portrait_(cropped).JPG)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Oliver Smithies, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Oliver Smithies HD2009 AIC Gold Medal portrait (cropped).JPG — Douglas A. Lockard, CC BY-SA 3.0.

## Cite this page

"Oliver Smithies". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/oliver-smithies. Retrieved 7 November 2026.