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Established in 1895 through the will of Swedish innovator Alfred Nobel, the Nobel Prizes are granted every year across multiple fields such as Economics, Chemistry, Literature, Peace, Physics, and Physiology or Medicine. While numerous Canadian Nobel laureates pursued their careers abroad, this list highlights individuals deeply connected to Canada who have been honored with Nobel Prizes in diverse fields.
1. Ernest Rutherford
Rutherford (pictured above), a pioneering figure in nuclear physics, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1908 for his groundbreaking studies on radioactivity. Although born in New Zealand and passing away in England, Rutherford conducted his award-winning research at McGill University in Montreal.
2. Sir Frederick Banting
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A physician hailing from Ontario, Banting was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1923 for his pivotal role in the discovery of insulin.
3. William Francis Giauque
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Giauque was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1949 for his groundbreaking studies on the behavior of matter at extremely low temperatures. Born in Ontario to American parents, he spent the majority of his professional life at the University of California, Berkeley.
4. Lester Pearson
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Pearson received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957 for his efforts in resolving the Suez Canal Crisis. He went on to serve as Canada's Prime Minister.
5. Charles Huggins
Huggins, a renowned oncologist, was honored with the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1966 for his pioneering research on hormone-based cancer treatments. Although born in Canada, he pursued his career at the University of Chicago.
6. Gerhard Herzberg
Herzberg was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1971 for his significant contributions to the study of free radicals. Originally from Germany, he moved to Canada in his youth and spent many years there.
7. Saul Bellow
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Bellow was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1976. Born in Quebec to Russian parents, he relocated to the United States during his childhood. Amid the Great Depression, Bellow worked for the Federal Writers Project, an initiative under the New Deal aimed at providing employment to out-of-work Americans.
8. David Hubel
Hubel, a distinguished neurobiologist, shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1981 for his groundbreaking research on the visual cortex. Raised and educated in Canada, he later pursued his career at Harvard University.
9. Henry Taube
Taube, born in Canada, built his career at several American institutions, including Cornell, the University of Chicago, and Stanford. He received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1983 for his contributions to the field of inorganic chemistry.
10. John Polanyi
Polanyi was honored with the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his contributions to chemical kinetics. As noted by Wikipedia, he has received an impressive 25 honorary degrees throughout his illustrious career.
11. Sidney Altman
Altman, originally from Montreal, has been a faculty member at Yale since 1971. He and a colleague were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1989 for their groundbreaking research on the RNA molecule.
12. Richard Taylor
Taylor hails from Medicine Hat, a uniquely named town in Alberta. Alongside two colleagues, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1990 for their advancements in particle physics.
13. Rudolph Marcus
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Marcus received the 1992 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his research on electron transfer. Born in Montreal, he has primarily worked in the United States. A conference to celebrate his 90th birthday is scheduled to take place in Singapore this July.
14. Michael Smith
Smith, a chemist originally from Britain, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1993 for his pioneering work on site-directed mutagenesis, a technique related to genetic modification. He dedicated much of his career to research in British Columbia.
15. Bertram Brockhouse
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Brockhouse, along with an American collaborator, received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1994 for their advancements in neutron scattering techniques. He served as a professor at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, for over two decades.
16. William Vickrey
Vickrey, an economics professor at Columbia University, was born in Victoria, BC, and shared the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1996 with James Mirrlees. Tragically, Vickrey passed away just three days after the award was announced.
17. Myron Scholes
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Myron Scholes, a financial economist originally from Ontario, is now a professor emeritus at Stanford. He and his colleague, Robert Merton, were awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1997 for creating a method to evaluate the value of derivatives.
18. Robert Mundell
Mundell, another Ontario native, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics. He received this honor in 1999 for his research on optimum currency areas, a theory that defines the ideal geographical scope for a currency. His contributions played a significant role in the development of the euro.
19. Willard Boyle
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Boyle, hailing from Nova Scotia, shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2009 with George E. Smith for their invention of a crucial component in digital imaging. Boyle was educated at home until he turned 14.
20. Ralph Steinman
Steinman, born in Montreal, passed away in Manhattan. As an immunologist, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2011 for his discovery of the dendritic cell, a critical component of the immune system. Sadly, Steinman succumbed to pancreatic cancer just three days before the prize announcement.
Sources: Wikipedia.org and Nobelprize.org
