Israel loses pioneering Nobel Prize-winning scientist, Prof. Ada Yonath

Obituaries

JERUSALEM, Israel (NPA) — Israel has lost one of its most celebrated scientists, Prof. Ada Yonath, the country’s first female Nobel Prize laureate and a pioneering crystallographer, who died at the age of 87.

Yonath was internationally recognised for her groundbreaking research into ribosomes, the molecular structures responsible for producing proteins in living cells.

Her pioneering work transformed scientific understanding of how cells function and contributed significantly to the development of antibiotics and research into treatments for antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

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In 2009, Yonath was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her work on the structure and function of the ribosome, becoming the first Israeli woman to receive the prestigious award.

From her early scientific career at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Yonath went on to become one of the world’s leading researchers in structural biology. She also established Israel’s first protein crystallography laboratory.

Her decades of research made it possible for scientists to gain a deeper understanding of how antibiotics interact with ribosomes, opening new pathways for medical research and drug development.

Born in Jerusalem in 1939, Yonath rose from humble beginnings to become one of the most influential scientists of her generation. She studied chemistry and biochemistry before completing her doctoral research in X-ray crystallography.

Her work earned her numerous international honours, including the Israel Prize and the Wolf Prize, in addition to the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Tributes have poured in following her death, with Israeli leaders and members of the global scientific community remembering her as a trailblazer whose discoveries helped reshape modern science.

Prof. Ada Yonath’s legacy extends far beyond her Nobel Prize. Her research continues to influence medicine, biology and scientific innovation, while her remarkable career remains an inspiration to generations of scientists, particularly young women pursuing careers in science and technology.

Israel’s scientific community has described her passing as the loss of a pioneering figure whose work placed Israeli science firmly on the global stage.