Paul Berg
Paul Berg | |
---|---|
![]() Paul Berg in 1980 | |
Born | |
Nationality | U.S. |
Alma mater | Case Western Reserve University Pennsylvania State University |
Known for | recombinant DNA |
Awards | Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1980) |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Biochemistry |
Institutions | Stanford University Washington University in St. Louis |
Paul Berg (born June 30, 1926) is an American biochemist (a person who studies chemistry in living things). He was given the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1980, with Walter Gilbert and Frederick Sanger. The award recognized their contributions to basic research on nucleic acids.
Berg received his undergraduate education at Penn State University, where he majored in biochemistry. He received his Ph.D. in biochemistry from Case Western Reserve University in 1952.
After 1959 Berg worked at Stanford University, Palo Alto, California. There he taught biochemistry from 1959 until 2000. He served as director of the Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine from 1985 until 2000.[1] He is now professor emeritus at Stanford University.
In addition to the Nobel Prize, Berg was given with the National Medal of Science in 1983 and the National Library of Medicine Medal in 1986.
Berg is famous for his pioneering work involving recombinant DNA, the process of inserting DNA from another species into a molecule, leading to the development of modern genetic engineering. After developing the technique, Berg used it for his studies of viral genomes.[2]
References[change | change source]
- ↑ "Paul Berg - Curriculum Vitae". The Nobel Foundation. Retrieved 2011-03-25.
- ↑ "Award Ceremony Speech". The Nobel Foundation. Retrieved 2011-03-25.
- Nobel Prize in Chemistry winners
- 1926 births
- Living people
- American biochemists
- American Nobel Prize winners
- Foreign Members of the Royal Society
- Jewish American academics
- Jewish American scientists
- Jewish Nobel Prize winners
- American molecular biologists
- Stanford University faculty
- Educators from New York City