Till now, 138 British Laureates have won the prestigious Nobel Prizes. The Nobel Prize was established in 1901. It is awarded to people for the excellence in a particular area. Ronald Ross was the first British Nobel Laureates to win a Nobel prize back in 1902. We have curated the list of British Nobel laureates in the table below.
List of British Nobel Laureates
| Year | Laureate | Prize Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1902 | Ronald Ross | Physiology or Medicine |
| 1903 | J. J. Thomson | Physics |
| 1904 | William Ramsay | Chemistry |
| 1907 | Rudyard Kipling | Literature |
| 1909 | Guglielmo Marconi | Physics |
| 1913 | Rabindranath Tagore | Literature |
| 1915 | Paul C. Flory | Chemistry |
| 1922 | Archibald Vivian Hill | Physiology or Medicine |
| 1927 | Charles Thomson Rees Wilson | Physics |
| 1932 | John Boyd Orr | Physiology or Medicine |
| 1935 | James Chadwick | Physics |
| 1937 | George Charles Kendrew | Chemistry |
| 1937 | Edward Adrian, 1st Baron Adrian | Physiology or Medicine |
| 1939 | Richard Kuhn | Chemistry |
| 1943 | Owen Willans Richardson | Physics |
| 1945 | Howard Florey | Physiology or Medicine |
| 1945 | Alexander Fleming | Physiology or Medicine |
| 1947 | Ernst Boris Chain | Physiology or Medicine |
| 1948 | John Steinbeck | Literature |
| 1952 | Winston Churchill | Literature |
| 1953 | Howard Walter Florey | Physiology or Medicine |
| 1955 | Frederick Sanger | Chemistry |
| 1957 | Alexander Todd | Chemistry |
| 1960 | Peter Brian Medawar | Physiology or Medicine |
| 1963 | John Carew Eccles | Physiology or Medicine |
| 1963 | Alan Lloyd Hodgkin | Physiology or Medicine |
| 1964 | Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin | Chemistry |
| 1965 | Winston Churchill | Peace |
| 1967 | C. H. Waddington | Physiology or Medicine |
| 1967 | Ronald Norrish | Chemistry |
| 1970 | Denis Gabor | Physics |
| 1971 | Gerald Maurice Edelman | Physiology or Medicine |
| 1972 | Rodney Robert Porter | Physiology or Medicine |
| 1973 | Godfrey Hounsfield | Physiology or Medicine |
| 1974 | Martin Ryle | Physics |
| 1975 | John Cornforth | Chemistry |
| 1976 | Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin | Chemistry |
| 1979 | Alwyn Entwistle | Chemistry |
| 1980 | James Watson | Physiology or Medicine |
| 1982 | Aaron Klug | Chemistry |
| 1982 | John Robert Vane | Chemistry |
| 1983 | Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar | Physics |
| 1984 | Richard Stone | Economics |
| 1989 | Nevill Francis Mott | Physics |
| 1990 | James Black | Physiology or Medicine |
| 1991 | Tim Berners-Lee | Peace |
| 1996 | Harold Pinter | Literature |
| 2000 | John P. S. Sanger | Physics |
| 2001 | Paul Nurse | Physiology or Medicine |
| 2003 | J. M. Coetzee | Literature |
| 2004 | David J. Thouless | Physics |
| 2009 | Wendy Elizabeth Suzanna Carmichael | Physics |
| 2010 | Konstantin Novoselov | Physiadd serial nocs |
| 2010 | Andre Geim | Physics |
| 2011 | John Sulston | Physiology or Medicine |
| 2012 | John B. Gurdon | Physiology or Medicine |
| 2016 | Fraser Stoddart | Chemistry |
| 2018 | Michael Levitt | Chemistry |
| 2020 | Roger Penrose | Physics |
| 2021 | David Julius | Physiology or Medicine |
British Nobel Laureates
Roger Penrose
- Roger Penrose born on August 8, 1931, in Colchester, Essex, England.
- He is still alive and he is of 92 years now.
- Roger penrose is a mathematical physicist known for his work in general relativity and cosmology.
- He has held positions at various universities, including Oxford and Cambridge.
- Roger Penrose made significant contributions to our understanding of black holes, the universe’s structure, and the nature of time.
David Julius
- David Julius Born on April 4, 1955, in Brighton, England.
- He is still alive and his age is 69 years now.
- David Julius is a British-American physiologist renowned for his research on pain sensation and receptors.
- He is a professor at the University of California, San Francisco.
- Julius discovered the molecular basis of temperature sensation and identified the receptors for capsaicin, the compound responsible for the heat in chili peppers.
Ronald Ross
- Ronald Ross born on May 13, 1857, in Almora, India (then British India).
- He passed away on September 16, 1932, in Putney Heath, London, England.
- Ronald Ross was a British medical doctor and officer in the British Army who contributed to the understanding of malaria transmission.
- He served in various medical roles in India and Africa.
- Ross’s contributed on malaria transmission earned him the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1902, making him the first British Nobel laureate in medicine.
J. J. Thomson
- J.J. Thomson born on December 18, 1856, in Cheetham Hill, Manchester, England.
- He passed away on August 30, 1940, in Cambridge, England.
- J.J. Thomson was a British physicist known for his discovery of the electron.
- He held prestigious positions at the University of Cambridge.
- Thomson’s experiments with cathode rays led to the identification of the electron, which revolutionized our understanding of atomic structure.
William Ramsay
- William Ramsay born on October 2, 1852, in Glasgow, Scotland.
- He passed away on July 23, 1916, in High Wycombe, England.
- William Ramsay was a Scottish chemist known for his discovery of noble gases.
- He held academic positions at universities in Scotland and England.
- William Ramsay’s discovery of noble gases, including argon, helium, neon, krypton, and xenon, earned him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1904.
Rudyard Kipling
- Rudyard Kipling born on December 30, 1865, in Bombay, British India (now Mumbai, India).
- He passed away on January 18, 1936, in London, England.
- Rudyard Kipling was an English writer, poet, and novelist, best known for his works set in British India.
- He produced a vast array of literary works, including “The Jungle Book” and “Kim.”
- Rudyard Kipling was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907 for his outstanding narrative ability and profound influence on Western literature.
Guglielmo Marconi
- Guglielmo Marconi born on April 25, 1874, in Bologna, Italy.
- He passed away on July 20, 1937, in Rome, Italy.
- Guglielmo Marconi was an Italian-British inventor and electrical engineer, known for his pioneering work on long-distance radio transmission.
- He conducted experiments in England, where he achieved the first transatlantic wireless communication.
- Guglielmo Marconi’s development of radio technology revolutionized communication and earned him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1909.
Rabindranath Tagore
- Rabindranath Tagore born on May 7, 1861, in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India (now Kolkata, India).
- He passed away on August 7, 1941, in Calcutta, British India (now Kolkata, India).
- Rabindranath Tagore was a Bengali polymath who reshaped Bengali literature and music.
- He was a poet, novelist, playwright, essayist, and painter.
- Rabindranat Tagore became the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 for his profoundly sensitive, fresh, and beautiful verse.
Paul C. Flory
- Paul C. Flory born on June 19, 1910, in Sterling, Illinois, United States.
- He passed away on September 9, 1985, in Big Sur, California, United States.
- Paul C. Flory was an American chemist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1974.
- He made significant contributions to the understanding of polymer chemistry.
- Paul C. Flory’s work laid the foundation for the development of modern polymer science, elucidating the behavior of macromolecules in solution.
Archibald Vivian Hill
- Archibald Vivian Hill born on September 26, 1886, in Bristol, England.
- He passed away on June 3, 1977, in Cambridge, England.
- Archibald Vivian Hill was a British physiologist known for his research on muscle physiology.
- He held positions at universities in England and served in World War I.
- Archibald Vivian Hill shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1922 for his discovery of the production of heat in muscles, which laid the groundwork for our understanding of muscle contraction.
Conclusion
British Nobel laureates have had a significant impact on various fields. Their discoveries have improved healthcare, expanded our understanding of the universe, and conveyed powerful ideas that continue to shape our world. Their commitment to research, innovation, and social progress acts as an inspiration for future generations.
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FAQs on List of British Nobel Laureates
Who was the first British Nobel Laureate?
The first British Nobel Laureate was Ronald Ross, who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1902.
How many Laureates are there in Physics Category?
There are 21 laureates are there in the physics category.
Who was the first British Nobel Laureate in Economics?
The first British Nobel Laureate in Economics was Richard Stone, who won the prize in 1984.
Who was the oldest British Nobel Laureate?
As of 2024 march, the youngest British Nobel Laureate is John B. Gurdon, who won the prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2012 at the age of 79.
Who was the youngest British Nobel Laureate?
The youngest British Nobel Laureate is Sir William Lawrence Bragg, who won the prize in Physics in 1915 at the age of 25.
Who was the only British Nobel Laureate to win the Peace Prize twice?
Winston Churchill is the only British Nobel Laureate to win the Peace Prize twice, in 1953 and 1965.
How many Nobel Prizes have British citizens received?
As of 2023, British citizens have received a total of 133 Nobel Prizes.