Nobel Prize for Chemistry 2013 Winners Karplus Levitt and Warshel

A group of three scientists of United States  Martin Karplus (Université de Strasbourg, France and Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA), Michael Levitt (Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA) and Arieh Warshel (University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA) were awarded the 2013 Nobel Prize in chemistry for devising computer simulations that are used to understand and predict chemical processes. The work helps in complex processes such as the development of drugs.


“Chemists used to create models of molecules using plastic balls and sticks. Today, the modelling is carried out in computers. In the 1970s, Martin Karplus, Michael Levitt and Arieh Warshel laid the foundation for the powerful programs that are used to understand and predict chemical processes,” said The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in a release. The prize money of SEK 8 million ($1.25m) will be shared equally between the laureates.

American Scientists Robert J Lefkowitz and Brian K Kobilka have won Chemistry Nobel Prize for year 2012