# Roger Y. Tsien

_American biochemist (1952-2016)_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/roger-y-tsien
Last updated: 2026-10-31

> Roger Yonchien Tsien was an American biochemist. He was a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of California, San Diego, and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2008 for his discovery and development of the green fluorescent protein, in collaboration with organic chemist Osamu Shimomura and neurobiologist Martin Chalfie. Tsien was also a pioneer of calcium imaging.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 1 February 1952 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q200470#P569))
- **Place of birth:** New York City ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q200470#P19))
- **Died:** 24 August 2016 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q200470#P570))
- **Place of death:** Eugene ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q200470#P20))
- **Citizenship:** United States ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q200470#P27))
- **Occupation:** biochemist; biophysicist; university teacher; chemist; cell biologist ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q200470#P106))
- **Education:** University of Cambridge; Churchill College; Harvard College; Livingston High School ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q200470#P69))
- **Official website:** tsienlab.ucsd.edu ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q200470#P856))
- **Awards:** Wolf Prize in Medicine; Nobel Prize in Chemistry; InBev-Baillet Latour Health Prize; Canada Gairdner International Award; Marshall Scholarship; EMBO Membership; Dr H.P. Heineken Prize for Biochemistry and Biophysics; Max Delbrück Medal; Rosenstiel Award; E. B. Wilson Medal; Keio Medical Science Prize; Annual Review Prize Lecture; Perl-UNC Prize; W. Alden Spencer Award; Keith R. Porter Lecture ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q200470#P166))

## Questions

**When was Roger Y. Tsien born?**  
Roger Y. Tsien was born on 1 February 1952 in New York City.

**Where did Roger Y. Tsien study?**  
Roger Y. Tsien was educated at University of Cambridge, Churchill College, Harvard College, Livingston High School.

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## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Roger Y. Tsien](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Y._Tsien) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q200470](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q200470) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Roger Tsien-press conference Dec 07th, 2008-2.jpg by Prolineserver ( talk ) (GFDL 1.2)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Roger_Tsien-press_conference_Dec_07th,_2008-2.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Roger Y. Tsien, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Roger Tsien-press conference Dec 07th, 2008-2.jpg — Prolineserver ( talk ), GFDL 1.2.

## Cite this page

"Roger Y. Tsien". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/roger-y-tsien. Retrieved 8 November 2026.