Joachim Frank facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joachim Frank
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Joachim Frank under Nobel Prize press conference in Stockholm, December 2017
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| Born | September 12, 1940 |
| Citizenship | United States, Germany |
| Education | University of Freiburg (BS) University of Munich (MS) Max Planck Society Technical University of Munich (PhD) Cornell University |
| Known for | Single-particle cryo-electron microscopy Ribosome structure and dynamics |
| Spouse(s) |
Carol Saginaw
(m. 1983) |
| Children | Ze Frank & Mariel Frank |
| Awards |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Structural biology Cryo-electron microscopy |
| Institutions | University at Albany, Department of Biomedical Sciences Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics |
| Thesis | Untersuchungen von elektronenmikroskopischen Aufnahmen hoher Auflösung mit Bilddifferenz- und Rekonstruktionsverfahren (1970) |
| Doctoral advisor | Walter Hoppe |
| Other academic advisors | Robert Glaeser, Robert Nathan |
Joachim Frank (born September 12, 1940) is a German-American biophysicist. He works at Columbia University and is a Nobel Prize winner.
He is known for helping to create a special way of looking at tiny things called single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). For this important work, he won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2017. He shared the prize with Jacques Dubochet and Richard Henderson. Frank also made big discoveries about the structure and how ribosomes work. Ribosomes are like tiny factories inside cells.
Life and Discoveries
Joachim Frank was born in a town called Siegen in Germany. He studied physics at the University of Freiburg. Later, he earned his Ph.D. from the Technical University of Munich in 1970. His early research focused on using computers to process images from electron microscopes. This helped him make clearer pictures of very small things.
After his studies, Frank moved to the United States for two years. He worked with different scientists to learn more about electron microscopy. In 1973, he went to the University of Cambridge in England. There, he continued his research on how to use electron microscopes better.
In 1975, Frank started working in New York. This is where he began to develop his new method for electron microscopy. It was called the single-particle approach. This method allowed scientists to see the detailed shapes of tiny biological molecules.
He became a professor at the University at Albany in 1986. During this time, he visited other famous labs in Europe. He worked with Richard Henderson, who also won the Nobel Prize with him. In 2008, he joined Columbia University as a professor.
Frank's work helped scientists understand the structure of ribosomes. Ribosomes are essential for making proteins in all living cells. His cryo-EM method made it possible to see these complex structures in great detail. This was a huge step forward in biology.
Major Awards
Joachim Frank has received many important awards for his scientific work. These awards show how much his discoveries have helped science.
- 1994 Humboldt Research Award: This award is given to top scientists.
- 2006 Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences: He was chosen as a member of this respected group.
- 2006 Member of the National Academy of Sciences: This is one of the highest honors for scientists in the U.S.
- 2014 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Life Science: An award for important discoveries in biology.
- 2017 Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences: This prize recognizes outstanding research in medical science.
- 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry: The most famous award for his work on cryo-electron microscopy.
- 2018 Honorary Doctorate, University of Siegen (Germany): A special degree from his hometown university.
- 2018 Honorary Fellow of the Royal Microscopical Society: An honor from a society focused on microscopy.
See also
In Spanish: Joachim Frank para niños
