Croonian Prize Lecture by Dr David Baker

The Croonian Medal and Lecture 2026 is awarded to Dr David Baker for pioneering the design of completely new proteins as well as playing key roles in the development of protein structure prediction and protein engineering tools.

Dr David Baker is a Nobel laureate, Professor of Biochemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator, and Director of the Institute for Protein Design at the University of Washington. His lab develops software for protein design and uses it to create molecules that help solve challenges in medicine, technology, and sustainability. Recent work includes the development of machine learning methods for generating functional proteins.

David Baker received his PhD in biochemistry with Randy Schekman at the University of California, Berkeley, and conducted postdoctoral research in biophysics with David Agard at UCSF. He has published more than 650 scientific papers, been awarded over 100 patents, and co-founded 21 biotechnology companies. More than 100 of his trainees have gone on to independent faculty positions.

He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2021 Breakthrough Prize and the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry “for computational protein design.” A member of the US National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, Dr Baker was included in TIME’s inaugural list of the 100 Most Influential People in health.

• The event is free to join, please register via Eventbrite for a ticket
• You will only be able to join us in person on the day if you registered for an in person ticket on Eventbrite.
• Live subtitles will be available in-person and virtually

• This lecture can be attended in-person at the Royal Society
• Doors will open to the public at 6.00pm GMT

Find travel and accessibility information on our website

• The lecture will also be livestreamed here and on the Royal Society YouTube channel
• You can take part in the live Q&A via Slido
• This event will be recorded (including the live Q&A) and the recording will be available on YouTube soon after the event
• For all enquiries, please contact [email protected]