List of fellows of the Royal Society W, X, Y, Z facts for kids
The Royal Society of London is a very old and famous group of scientists, started way back in 1660. Being chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society means you are one of the best scientists in the world! It's a huge honor, like being a superstar in science. Since it began, about 8,000 amazing people have become Fellows.
This page lists some of these brilliant minds whose last names start with W, X, Y, or Z. It also includes some special scientists from other countries who were chosen as Foreign Members of the Royal Society. The date next to their name is when they were elected. Sometimes, you'll also see dates in brackets that are important for their life or work.
| A, B, C | D, E, F | G, H, I | J, K, L | M, N, O | P, Q, R | S, T, U, V | W, X, Y, Z |
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Meet Some Fellows of the Royal Society
Scientists with Last Names Starting with 'W'
Many incredible scientists, inventors, and thinkers whose last names begin with 'W' have been elected as Fellows. They have made discoveries in many different fields, from understanding how our bodies work to exploring the universe.
- Conrad Hal Waddington (elected 1947): A biologist who studied how living things develop.
- Kenneth Wade (elected 1989): A chemist who explored new chemical structures.
- Darashaw Nosherwan Wadia (elected 1957): A geologist from India.
- Gabriel Waksman (elected 2012): A scientist who studies molecules.
- Nicholas John Wald (elected 2004): Known for his work in public health.
- Herman Waldmann (elected 1990): An immunologist who studies the body's defenses.
- David J. Wales (elected 2016): A chemical physicist.
- William Wales (elected 1776): An astronomer who sailed with Captain Cook.
- Alan Walker (elected 1999): An anthropologist who studies human origins.
- George P. L. Walker (elected 1975): A volcanologist who studied volcanoes.
- Gilbert Thomas Walker (elected 1904): A physicist known for his work on climate patterns.
- James Walker (elected 1900): A chemist.
- James Walker (elected 1828): A civil engineer.
- John Ernest Walker (elected 1995): A biochemist who won a Nobel Prize.
- Alfred Russel Wallace (elected 1893): A famous naturalist who developed the idea of evolution at the same time as Charles Darwin.
- David James Wallace (elected 1986): A physicist.
- Augustus Volney Waller (elected 1851): A physiologist who studied nerves.
- John Wallis (elected 1663): One of the very first Fellows, a brilliant mathematician.
- Sir Barnes Neville Wallis (elected 1945): An engineer famous for inventing the "bouncing bomb" during WWII.
- Daniel Frank Walls (elected 1992): A physicist who studied quantum optics.
- Ian Alexander Walmsley (elected 2012): A physicist.
- Mark Walport (elected 2011): A medical scientist.
- Alan Walsh (elected 1969): A physicist who invented a new way to analyze chemicals.
- John Walsh (elected 1770): A scientist who studied electric fish.
- Henry Walter (elected 1819): A clergyman and scientist.
- Kenneth Walters (elected 1991): A rheologist, studying how materials flow.
- Humfrey Wanley (elected 1706): A librarian and scholar.
- Harry Marshall Ward (elected 1888): A botanist who studied plants.
- Ian Macmillan Ward (elected 1983): A physicist.
- John Clive Ward (elected 1965): A physicist who worked on quantum theory.
- Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward (elected 1852): Invented the Wardian case for transporting plants.
- Richard Samuel Ward (elected 2005): A mathematician.
- Seth Ward (elected 1663): Another original Fellow, a bishop and mathematician.
- James Ware (elected 1802): An eye surgeon.
- Philip Frank Wareing (elected 1969): A plant physiologist.
- Edward Waring (elected 1763): A mathematician.
- Robert Warington (elected 1864): A chemist.
- Robert Warington (elected 1886): An agricultural chemist.
- David Lee Wark (elected 2007): A particle physicist.
- Anne Elizabeth Warner (elected 1985): A biologist.
- Frederick Edward Warner (elected 1976): A chemical engineer.
- Mark Warner (elected 2012): A physicist.
- Elizabeth Kerr Warrington (elected 1986): A neuropsychologist.
- John Washington (elected 1845): A naval officer and hydrographer.
- Michael Derek Waterfield (elected 1991): A biochemist.
- Douglas Frew Waterhouse (elected 1967): An entomologist, studying insects.
- John Conrad Waterlow (elected 1982): A nutrition scientist.
- Hugh Christian Watkins (elected 2017): A medical geneticist.
- Jeffrey Clifton Watkins (elected 1988): A biochemist.
- Winifred May Watkins (elected 1969): A biochemist.
- Alan Andrew Watson (elected 2000): An astrophysicist.
- Andrew James Watson (elected 2003): An oceanographer and climate scientist.
- David Meredith Seares Watson (elected 1922): A paleontologist, studying ancient life.
- George Neville Watson (elected 1919): A mathematician.
- Henry William Watson (elected 1881): A mathematician.
- James Kay Graham Watson (elected 1987): A chemist.
- Janet Vida Watson (elected 1979): A geologist.
- Richard Watson (elected 1769): A bishop and chemist.
- Robert Watson (elected 2011): An environmental scientist.
- Thomas Watson (elected 1859): A physician.
- William Watson (elected 1741): A chemist and physician, known for his work on electricity.
- Robert Alexander Watson-Watt (elected 1941): A physicist who helped invent radar.
- Alexander Stuart Watt (elected 1957): A botanist.
- Fiona Mary Watt (elected 2003): A stem cell biologist.
- James Watt (elected 1785): The famous inventor who improved the steam engine.
- William Watt (elected 1976): A physical chemist.
- Anthony Watts (elected 2014): A geologist.
- Colin Watts (elected 2005): An immunologist.
- Henry Watts (elected 1866): A chemistry journalist.
- Philip Watts (elected 1900): A naval architect.
- William Whitehead Watts (elected 1904): A geologist.
- Andrew Scott Waugh (elected 1858): A surveyor general of India.
- Dennis Lawrence Weaire (elected 1999): A physicist.
- David John Weatherall (elected 1977): A medical researcher.
- Paul Egerton Weatherley (elected 1973): A botanist.
- Colin Edward Webb (elected 1991): A physicist.
- Bryan Ronald Webber (elected 2001): A theoretical physicist.
- John Webster (elected 1844): A physician.
- Robert Gordon Webster (elected 1989): A virologist, studying viruses.
- Richard Weck (elected 1975): An engineer.
- Joseph Henry Maclagan Wedderburn (elected 1933): A mathematician.
- Josiah Wedgwood (elected 1783): A famous potter and industrialist.
- Basil Charles Leicester Weedon (elected 1971): A chemist.
- Felix Jiri Weinberg (elected 1983): A combustion scientist.
- Lawrence Weiskrantz (elected 1980): A psychologist.
- Frederick Ernest Weiss (elected 1917): A botanist.
- Nigel Oscar Weiss (elected 1992): A mathematician and astrophysicist.
- Robin Anthony Weiss (elected 1997): A virologist.
- Walter Weldon (elected 1882): An industrial chemist.
- Walter Frank Raphael Weldon (elected 1890): A biologist.
- Walter Thompson Welford (elected 1980): An optical physicist.
- Mark Edward Welland (elected 2002): A nanotechnologist.
- Henry Solomon Wellcome (elected 1932): A pharmaceutical businessman.
- Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (elected 1847): A famous general and Prime Minister.
- Alan Arthur Wells (elected 1977): An engineer, inventor of the Wells Turbine.
- George Philip Wells (elected 1955): A zoologist.
- Peter Neil Temple Wells (elected 2003): A medical physicist.
- William Charles Wells (elected 1793): A physician and natural philosopher.
- Harry Lambert Welsh (elected 1962): A physicist.
- John Welsh (elected 1857): A meteorologist.
- James West (elected 1727): An antiquary and politician.
- Peter Christopher West (elected 2006): A theoretical physicist.
- Richard Gilbert West (elected 1968): A botanist and geologist.
- Stephen Craig West (elected 1995): A biochemist.
- Thomas Summers West (elected 1989): A chemist.
- William West (elected 1846): A chemist.
- John Hugh Westcott (elected 1983): A control engineer.
- Gerald Westheimer (elected 1985): A vision scientist.
- Richard Westmacott (elected 1837): A sculptor.
- Thomas Stanley Westoll (elected 1952): A paleontologist.
- Edward Wetenhall (elected 1683): A bishop and scholar.
- Alan Marmaduke Wetherell (elected 1971): A particle physicist.
- William James Lloyd Wharton (elected 1886): A hydrographer.
- Frederick Robert Whatley (elected 1975): A plant biochemist.
- Charles Wheatstone (elected 1836): An inventor who worked on the telegraph and stereoscope.
- David John Wheeler (elected 1981): A computer scientist.
- Robert Eric Mortimer Wheeler (elected 1968): An archaeologist.
- Michael John Whelan (elected 1976): A materials scientist.
- William Joseph Whelan (elected 1992): A biochemist.
- Granville Wheler (elected 1728): A clergyman who studied electricity.
- William Whewell (elected 1820): A scientist, philosopher, and historian of science.
- Joseph Whidbey (elected 1805): A naval officer and surveyor.
- Richard Whiddington (elected 1925): A physicist.
- David Hardy Whiffen (elected 1966): A chemist.
- Daniel Whistler (elected 1663): One of the original Fellows, a physician.
- William Whitaker (elected 1887): A geologist.
- Charles White (elected 1762): A surgeon and obstetrician.
- Errol Ivor White (elected 1956): A paleontologist.
- Frederick William George White (elected 1966): A physicist.
- John Graham White (elected 2005): A clinical psychologist.
- John William White (elected 1993): A chemist.
- Michael James Denham White (elected 1961): A geneticist.
- Nicholas John White (elected 2006): A professor of tropical medicine.
- Philip Bruce White (elected 1941): A microbiologist.
- Robert Stephen White (elected 1994): A geophysicist.
- Simon David Manton White (elected 1997): An astrophysicist.
- William Henry White (elected 1888): A naval architect.
- Alfred North Whitehead (elected 1903): A mathematician and philosopher.
- John Henry Constantine Whitehead (elected 1944): A mathematician.
- John Whitehurst (elected 1779): A clockmaker and geologist.
- James Hunter Whitelaw (elected 1996): A mechanical engineer.
- Gerald Beresford Whitham (elected 1965): A mathematician.
- John Macnaghten Whittaker (elected 1949): A mathematician.
- Edmund Taylor Whittaker (elected 1905): A mathematician.
- Ronald Whittam (elected 1973): A physiologist.
- Walter Frederick Whittard (elected 1957): A geologist.
- David Whitteridge (elected 1953): A neurophysiologist.
- Harry Blackmore Whittington (elected 1971): A paleontologist.
- Peter Whittle (elected 1978): A mathematician.
- Frank Whittle (elected 1947): The inventor of the jet engine.
- Joseph Whitworth (elected 1857): An engineer and inventor.
- Robert Whytt (elected 1752): A physician and neurophysiologist.
- Elsie May Widdowson (elected 1976): A nutritionist.
- Karel Frantisek Wiesner (elected 1969): A chemist.
- Vincent Brian Wigglesworth (elected 1939): An entomologist.
- Robert Wight (elected 1855): A botanist.
- Dale Brian Wigley (elected 2004): A scientist working on cancer research.
- James Wigram (elected 1835): A lawyer.
- Samuel Wilberforce (elected 1845): A bishop and natural historian.
- Johann Karl Wilcke (elected 1789): A physicist.
- John Paul Wild (elected 1970): A radio astronomer.
- Henry Wilde (elected 1886): An electrical engineer.
- Andrew John Wiles (elected 1989): A mathematician who proved Fermat's Last Theorem.
- Maurice Vincent Wilkes (elected 1956): A computer scientist.
- Alex James Wilkie (elected 2001): A mathematician.
- Andrew Wilkie (elected 2013): A geneticist.
- Douglas Robert Wilkie (elected 1971): A medical researcher.
- John Wilkins (elected 1663): One of the founders of the Royal Society.
- Maurice Hugh Frederick Wilkins (elected 1959): A physicist who helped discover the structure of DNA.
- Charles Wilkins (elected 1788): An orientalist.
- William Wilkins (elected 1831): An architect.
- Guy Wilkinson (elected 2018): A physicist.
- Geordie Williamson (elected 2018): A mathematician.
- James Hardy Wilkinson (elected 1969): A mathematician and computer scientist.
- Denys Haigh Wilkinson (elected 1956): A nuclear physicist.
- Geoffrey Wilkinson (elected 1965): A chemist who won a Nobel Prize.
- William Lionel Wilkinson (elected 1990): A chemical engineer.
- Samuel Wilks (elected 1870): A physician.
- Robert Willan (elected 1809): A dermatologist.
- David Willetts (elected 2018): An honorary Fellow and politician.
- Arthur Willey (elected 1902): A zoologist.
- William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland (elected 1760): A Royal Fellow.
- William IV, King of Great Britain and Ireland (elected 1831): A Patron of the Royal Society.
- Alan Frederick Williams (elected 1990): An immunologist.
- Alwyn Williams (elected 1967): A geologist.
- Carrington Bonsor Williams (elected 1954): An entomologist.
- Charles James Blasius Williams (elected 1835): A physician.
- David Williams (elected 1984): A mathematician.
- Dudley Howard Williams (elected 1983): A chemist.
- Evan James Williams (elected 1939): A physicist.
- Frederic Calland Williams (elected 1950): An electrical engineer, pioneer of computing.
- James Gordon Williams (elected 1994): A physicist.
- John Williams (elected 1828): A mineralogist.
- Moses Williams (elected 1719): An antiquarian.
- Peter Michael Williams (elected 1999): A physicist.
- Richard Tecwyn Williams (elected 1967): A biochemist.
- Robert Hughes Williams (elected 1990): A physicist.
- Robert Joseph Paton Williams (elected 1972): A chemist.
- Roger L. Williams (elected 2017): A historian of science.
- Timothy John Williams (elected 2012): A computer scientist.
- Alexander William Williamson (elected 1855): A chemist.
- Benjamin Williamson (elected 1879): An Irish mathematician.
- David Theodore Nelson Williamson (elected 1968): An electronic engineer.
- Joseph Williamson (elected 1663): One of the original Fellows, a politician.
- Robert Williamson (elected 1999): A biochemist and geneticist.
- William Crawford Williamson (elected 1854): A botanist and paleontologist.
- John Christopher Willis (elected 1919): A botanist.
- John Raymond Willis (elected 1992): A mathematician.
- Robert Willis (elected 1830): An engineer and mechanist.
- Thomas Willis (elected 1663): A physician, one of the original Fellows.
- Edward Nevill Willmer (elected 1960): A cell biologist.
- Francis Willughby (elected 1663): An original Fellow, a naturalist.
- Edward Wilmot (elected 1730): A physician.
- Ian Wilmut (elected 2002): A biologist, known for cloning Dolly the sheep.
- Alan Geoffrey Wilson (elected 2006): A geographer and mathematician.
- Alan Herries Wilson (elected 1942): A physicist.
- Allan Charles Wilson (elected 1986): A biochemist.
- Arthur James Cochran Wilson (elected 1963): A crystallographer.
- Benjamin Wilson (elected 1751): A painter and scientist.
- Charles Thomson Rees Wilson (elected 1900): A physicist who invented the cloud chamber, Nobel Prize winner.
- Colin James Ness Wilson (elected 2015): A geologist.
- George Fergusson Wilson (elected 1855): A businessman and horticulturist.
- Graham Selby Wilson (elected 1978): A bacteriologist.
- Harold Albert Wilson (elected 1906): A physicist.
- Horace Hayman Wilson (elected 1834): An orientalist.
- Ian Andrew Wilson (elected 2000): A microbiologist.
- James Wilson (elected 1803): An anatomist.
- James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx (elected 1969): A former Prime Minister of the UK.
- John Tuzo Wilson (elected 1968): A geophysicist, known for plate tectonics.
- Robert Wilson (elected 1975): An astronomer.
- Sophie Wilson (elected 2013): A computer scientist.
- William James Erasmus Wilson (elected 1845): A surgeon and dermatologist.
- William Wilson (elected 1923): A physicist.
- William Edward Wilson (elected 1896): An Irish astronomer.
- James Wimshurst (elected 1898): An inventor of electrical machines.
- Joseph Windham (elected 1781): An antiquarian.
- Alan Hardwick Windle (elected 1997): A materials scientist.
- Bertram Coghill Alan Windle (elected 1899): An anatomist and anthropologist.
- Colin George Windsor (elected 1995): A physicist.
- Johann Heinrich Winkler (elected 1747): A physicist.
- Rowland Winn (elected 1673): A merchant.
- Gregory Paul Winter (elected 1990): A biochemist, Nobel Prize winner for antibody research.
- John Winthrop (elected 1766): A physicist and astronomer.
- Sir Clifton Wintringham (elected 1742): A physician.
- Daniel Wise (elected 2018): A mathematician.
- William Withering (elected 1785): A physician and botanist.
- Philip J. Withers (elected 2016): A materials physicist.
- Stephen Withers (elected 2012): A biochemist.
- Nicolaes Witsen (elected 1689): A Dutch statesman and cartographer.
- George Witt (elected 1834): A surgeon and collector.
- William Henry Wittrick (elected 1980): An engineer.
- Charles Godfrey Woide (elected 1785): A biblical scholar.
- Kenneth H. Wolfe (elected 2017): A geneticist.
- John Wolfe Wolfe-Barry (elected 1895): An engineer, famous for Tower Bridge.
- Arnold Whittaker Wolfendale (elected 1977): A physicist.
- Christian, Freiherr von Wolff (elected 1710): A German philosopher and mathematician.
- Eric Wolff (elected 2010): A glaciologist.
- Leonard Wolfson, Baron Wolfson (elected 2005): An honorary Fellow, businessman and philanthropist.
- Isaac Wolfson (elected 1963): A businessman and philanthropist.
- William Hyde Wollaston (elected 1793): A chemist and physicist, discovered palladium and rhodium.
- Daniel Mark Wolpert (elected 2012): A neuroscientist.
- Lewis Wolpert (elected 1980): An embryologist.
- Alan Marshall Muir Wood (elected 1980): A civil engineer.
- Bernard John Wood (elected 1998): A geologist.
- Graham Charles Wood (elected 1997): A corrosion scientist.
- John Nicholas Wood (elected 2009): A neuroscientist.
- Martin Francis Wood (elected 1987): An engineer.
- Nicholas Wood (elected 1864): A mining engineer.
- Richard Dean Wood (elected 1997): A molecular biologist.
- Ronald Karslake Starr Wood (elected 1976): A plant biologist.
- Thomas Barlow Wood (elected 1919): A professor of agriculture.
- William Wood (elected 1812): A zoologist.
- Bennet Woodcroft (elected 1859): An inventor and patent official.
- Samuel Woodford (elected 1664): A clergyman.
- John Henry Woodhouse (elected 2000): A geophysicist.
- Robert Woodhouse (elected 1802): A mathematician and astronomer.
- D. P. Woodruff (elected 2006): A physicist.
- Michael Woodruff (elected 1968): A surgeon, pioneer of organ transplantation.
- Andrew W. Woods (elected 2017): A mathematician.
- Donald Devereux Woods (elected 1952): A biochemist.
- Henry Woods (elected 1916): A geologist.
- Arthur Smith Woodward (elected 1901): A paleontologist.
- Henry Woodward (elected 1873): A geologist.
- John Woodward (elected 1693): A naturalist and physician.
- Sidney William Wooldridge (elected 1959): A geographer.
- Trevor Dion Wooley (elected 2007): A mathematician.
- Michael Mark Woolfson (elected 1984): A crystallographer.
- John Thomas Woolhouse (elected 1721): An oculist (eye doctor).
- Herbert Henry Woollard (elected 1938): An anatomist.
- Richard van der Riet Woolley (elected 1953): An astronomer.
- Paul Workman (elected 2016): A cancer scientist.
- Arthur Wormall (elected 1956): A biochemist.
- Henry de Worms, 1st Baron Pirbright (elected 1889): A politician.
- Henry Worsley (elected 1705): A diplomat.
- Arthur Mason Worthington (elected 1893): A physicist.
- Brian Stewart Worthington (elected 1998): A neuroradiologist.
- William Wotton (elected 1687): A scholar.
- Peter Woulfe (elected 1767): A chemist.
- Francis Wrangham (elected 1804): A clergyman and writer.
- Daniel Wray (elected 1729): An antiquarian.
- Gordon Richard Wray (elected 1986): An engineer.
- Christopher Wren (elected 1663): The famous architect of St Paul's Cathedral, and a founder and early President of the Royal Society.
- Christopher Wren the Younger (elected 1693): Son of the famous architect, also a scholar.
- Matthew Wren (elected 1663): An original Fellow.
- Thomas Wren (elected 1663): An original Fellow.
- Almroth Edward Wright (elected 1906): A bacteriologist and immunologist.
- Charles Romley Alder Wright (elected 1881): A chemist.
- Ernest Marshall Wright (elected 2005): A physiologist.
- John Wright (elected 1843): A clergyman.
- Thomas Wright (elected 1879): A geologist.
- William Wright (elected 1778): A botanist.
- John Wrottesley, 2nd Baron Wrottesley (elected 1841): An astronomer.
- Adrian Frederick George Wyatt (elected 2000): A physicist.
- Terry Wyatt (elected 2013): A particle physicist.
- Jeffrey Wyatville (elected 1830): An architect.
- Cyril Wyche (elected 1663): An original Fellow.
- Peter Wyche (elected 1663): An original Fellow and diplomat.
- Edmund Wylde (elected 1663): An original Fellow.
- Andrew Hamilton Wyllie (elected 1995): A pathologist.
- Peter John Wyllie (elected 1984): A geologist.
- William Wynde (elected 1663): An original Fellow.
- V. C. Wynne-Edwards (elected 1970): A zoologist.
- Charles Gorrie Wynne (elected 1970): An optical designer.
- William Palmer Wynne (elected 1896): A chemist.
Scientists with Last Names Starting with 'Y'
Here are some of the remarkable Fellows whose names start with 'Y'.
- Magdi Habib Yacoub (elected 1999): A famous heart surgeon.
- Elihu Yale (elected 1717): A merchant and philanthropist, known for Yale University.
- Ziheng Yang (elected 2006): A biologist who studies evolution.
- Alfred Fernandez Yarrow (elected 1922): A shipbuilder.
- Frank Yates (elected 1948): A statistician.
- James Yates (elected 1839): A botanist.
- John Yelloly (elected 1814): A physician.
- Gerald Francis Yeo (elected 1889): A physiologist.
- Thomas Yeoman (elected 1764): An engineer.
- Julia Yeomans (elected 2013): A physicist.
- William Yolland (elected 1859): A military engineer.
- Charles Maurice Yonge (elected 1946): A zoologist.
- James Yonge (elected 1702): A naval surgeon.
- Charles Yorke (elected 1750): A lawyer and politician.
- Charles Philip Yorke (elected 1801): A politician.
- Warrington Yorke (elected 1932): A professor of tropical medicine.
- Alec David Young (elected 1973): An aero-engineer.
- Alfred Young (elected 1934): A mathematician.
- Arthur Young (elected 1774): An agricultural writer.
- Ian Robert Young (elected 1989): A medical physicist.
- James Young (elected 1873): A chemist.
- John Zachary Young (elected 1945): A zoologist and neuroscientist.
- Pierre Henry John Young (elected 1974): An engineer.
- Frank George Young (elected 1949): A biochemist.
- Robert Young (elected 2013): A materials scientist.
- Sydney Young (elected 1893): A professor of chemistry.
- Thomas Young (elected 1794): A brilliant scientist who studied light, language (like the Rosetta Stone), and medicine.
- William Henry Young (elected 1907): A mathematician.
- Charles Wright Younghusband (elected 1852): A military officer.
- George Udny Yule (elected 1921): A statistician.
Scientists with Last Names Starting with 'Z'
And finally, some of the amazing Fellows whose names start with 'Z'.
- Franz Xaver Zach (elected 1804): An astronomer.
- Oliver Louis Zangwill (elected 1977): A psychologist.
- Francesco Maria Zannotti (elected 1741): An Italian philosopher and mathematician.
- Eustachio Zanotti (elected 1740): An Italian astronomer.
- Erik Christopher Zeeman (elected 1975): A mathematician.
- Semir Zeki (elected 1990): A neurobiologist.
- Olgierd Cecil Zienkiewicz (elected 1979): An engineer.
- John Michael Ziman (elected 1967): A physicist.
- Andrew Peter Zisserman (elected 2007): A computer vision scientist.
- Solly Zuckerman, Baron Zuckerman (elected 1943): An anatomist and scientific advisor.
Foreign Members of the Royal Society
The Royal Society also honors top scientists from other countries by making them Foreign Members. These individuals have made huge contributions to science worldwide.
Foreign Members with Last Names Starting with 'W'
- Otto Heinrich Warburg (elected 1934): A German chemist who won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1931.
- James Dewey Watson (elected 1981): A U.S. scientist famous for co-discovering the structure of DNA.
- Ernst Heinrich Weber (elected 1862): A German physiologist.
- Max Wilhelm Carl Weber (elected 1935): A Dutch zoologist.
- Wilhelm Eduard Weber (elected 1850): A German physicist.
- Carl Wilhelm Weierstrass (elected 1881): A German mathematician.
- Detlef Weigel (elected 2010): A German plant biologist.
- André Weil (elected 1966): A French-U.S. mathematician.
- Steven Weinberg (elected 1981): A U.S. physicist who won the Nobel Prize in 1979 for his work on fundamental forces.
- August Friedrich Leopold Weismann (elected 1910): A German evolutionary biologist.
- Charles Weissmann (elected 1983): A Hungarian-born molecular biologist.
- Friedrich August Ferdinand Christian Went (elected 1933): A Dutch botanist.
- Susan R. Wessler (elected 2017): A U.S. plant geneticist.
- Frank Henry Westheimer (elected 1983): A U.S. chemist.
- Hermann Weyl (elected 1936): A German mathematician and theoretical physicist.
- John Archibald Wheeler (elected 1995): A U.S. theoretical physicist.
- Gustav Heinrich Wiedemann (elected 1884): A German physicist.
- Heinrich Otto Wieland (elected 1931): A German chemist.
- Torsten Nils Wiesel (elected 1982): A Swedish neurophysiologist, Nobel Prize winner.
- Eugene Paul Wigner (elected 1970): A Hungarian-American theoretical physicist, Nobel Prize winner.
- Ellen D. Williams (elected 2016): A U.S. chemist.
- Richard Willstätter (elected 1928): A German chemist, Nobel Prize winner.
- Edmund Beecher Wilson (elected 1921): A U.S. zoologist.
- Edward Osborne Wilson (elected 1990): A U.S. biologist, known for his work on ants and biodiversity.
- Øjvind Winge (elected 1947): A Danish geneticist.
- Sergius Winogradsky (elected 1919): A Russian microbiologist.
- Johannes Wislicenus (elected 1897): A German chemist.
- Edward Witten (elected 1999): A U.S. mathematician and physicist, a Fields Medal winner.
- Carl Richard Woese (elected 2006): A U.S. microbiologist.
- Friedrich Wöhler (elected 1854): A German chemist.
- Peter Guy Wolynes (elected 2007): A U.S. chemist.
- Robert Williams Wood (elected 1919): A U.S. physicist.
- Robert Burns Woodward (elected 1956): A U.S. organic chemist, Nobel Prize winner.
- Sewall Wright (elected 1963): A U.S. geneticist.
- Carl Isaac Wunsch (elected 2002): A U.S. oceanographer.
- Karl Adolph Wurtz (elected 1864): A French chemist.
- Kurt Wuthrich (elected 2010): A Swiss chemist, Nobel Prize winner.
- Ralph Walter Graystone Wyckoff (elected 1951): A U.S. crystallographer.
Foreign Members with Last Names Starting with 'Y'
- Eli Yablonovitch (elected 2013): A U.S. physicist.
- Mitsuhiro Yanagida (elected 2000): A Japanese molecular biologist.
- Chen Ning Yang (elected 1992): A Chinese-American physicist, Nobel Prize winner.
- Charles Yanofsky (elected 1985): A U.S. scientist.
- Hideki Yukawa (elected 1963): A Japanese theoretical physicist, Nobel Prize winner.
Foreign Members with Last Names Starting with 'Z'
- Richard Neil Zare (elected 1999): A U.S. physicist.
- Pieter Zeeman (elected 1921): A Dutch physicist, Nobel Prize winner.
- Yakov Borisovich Zel'dovich (elected 1979): A Soviet physicist.
- Nikolay Zheludev (elected 2018): A British physicist.
- Frits Zernike (elected 1956): A Dutch physicist, Nobel Prize winner.
- Ahmed Hassan Zewail (elected 2001): An Egyptian-American chemist, Nobel Prize winner.
- Guangzhao Zhou (elected 2012): A Chinese physicist.
- Karl Ziegler (elected 1971): A German chemist, Nobel Prize winner.
- Rolf Martin Zinkernagel (elected 1998): A Swiss immunologist, Nobel Prize winner.
- Ferdinand Zirkel (elected 1897): A German geologist.