Ada Yonath, an Israeli chemist renowned for her pioneering work on the structure and function of the ribosome, died Monday at the age of 87, the Weizmann Institute of Science announced. Yonath was the only Israeli woman to receive a Nobel Prize, earning the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her groundbreaking research.
Born in Jerusalem in 1939 to the Lifshitz family, Yonath faced early challenges; her father passed away when she was 11, prompting the family to move to Tel Aviv where she completed high school. She later served in the Israeli military’s medical corps before pursuing higher education. Yonath earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry along with master’s degrees in biochemistry and biophysics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Her scientific career began in earnest during doctoral studies at the Weizmann Institute of Science, where she started researching protein structures. She completed her doctorate in X-ray crystallography in 1968 and conducted postdoctoral work at Carnegie Mellon University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States.
In 1970, Yonath founded Israel’s first laboratory dedicated to protein crystallography at the Weizmann Institute. For nearly ten years, it remained the country’s sole facility of its kind. Her pioneering work on elucidating the ribosome’s structure provided new insight into a fundamental process of biological life, transforming the understanding of how proteins are synthesized in cells.
Alon Chen, president of the Weizmann Institute, lauded Yonath as an exceptional scientist whose determination and curiosity enabled her to overcome obstacles that many considered insurmountable. He highlighted her contributions as a major advancement in molecular biology.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog also expressed sorrow, honoring Yonath as a global trailblazer whose dedication expanded human knowledge. Herzog praised her achievements for not only revolutionizing science but also bringing significant honor to Israel.
Yonath’s legacy endures through her transformative discoveries that reshaped the fields of chemistry and molecular biology, as well as her role as a pioneering figure for women in science in Israel and beyond.