Martin Chalfie facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Martin Chalfie
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Chalfie in 2018
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Martin Lee Chalfie
January 15, 1947 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
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| Citizenship | American |
| Education | Harvard University (BA, PhD) |
| Known for | Green fluorescent protein |
| Spouse(s) | Tulle Hazelrigg |
| Awards | E. B. Wilson Medal (2008) Nobel Prize in Chemistry (2008) Golden Goose Award (2012) Foreign Member of the Royal Society (2018) Lomonosov Gold Medal (2018) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Neurobiology |
| Institutions | Columbia University Laboratory of Molecular Biology University of Cambridge |
| Thesis | Regulation of catecholamine biosynthesis and secretion in a rat pheochromocytoma (1977) |
| Doctoral advisor | Robert L. Perlman |
Martin Lee Chalfie (born January 15, 1947) is an American scientist. He is a professor at Columbia University. In 2008, he won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He shared this award with Osamu Shimomura and Roger Y. Tsien. They won for finding and developing the green fluorescent protein, known as GFP. This protein helps scientists see things inside living cells. Martin Chalfie earned his PhD in neurobiology from Harvard University.
Early Life and Education Journey
Martin Chalfie grew up in Chicago, Illinois. His father, Eli Chalfie, was a guitarist. His mother, Vivian Chalfie, owned a clothing store. His family had Jewish roots, with grandparents from Moscow and Brest-Litovsk.
He started at Harvard University in 1965. He first wanted to study math. Later, he changed his major to biochemistry. This field combined his interests in chemistry, math, and biology.
After his third year, he worked in a lab. The experiments did not go well. This made him doubt if biology was for him. So, in his last year, he took classes in law, theater, and Russian literature.
Martin Chalfie was also a swimmer at Harvard. He became the team captain in his senior year. His coach said he would be an "excellent captain." He won an award for leadership and teamwork. After he won the Nobel Prize, his old roommate said Martin always saw himself as a swimmer.
After graduating in 1969, he worked different temporary jobs. He sold dresses for his parents' business. He also taught at a school in Connecticut. In 1971, his research at Yale University led to his first published paper. This success gave him new confidence. He returned to Harvard for graduate studies. He earned his PhD in 1977.
Career and Scientific Discoveries
After his PhD, Martin Chalfie did more research. He worked at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB). There, he worked with Sydney Brenner and John Sulston. In 1985, they published a paper together. It was about how a tiny worm, C. elegans, feels touch.
In 1982, Chalfie joined Columbia University. He continued to study C. elegans. He focused on how these worms respond to touch.
He married Tulle Hazelrigg, who also became a professor at Columbia. She let him use her research in his important paper. But she had a condition: he had to make coffee, cook, and take out the trash every night for a month!
In 1992, Martin and Tulle had a daughter named Sarah.
In 2004, Martin Chalfie was chosen to join the United States National Academy of Sciences. This is a big honor for scientists.
When the Nobel Prize Committee called him, he was asleep. He woke up later and checked the Nobel website. He found out he was one of the winners!
In 2015, Chalfie signed a declaration about Climate Change. Many Nobel winners signed it. It was given to the French President. This helped with the COP21 climate summit.
Chalfie's lab still uses the C. elegans worm. They study how nerve cells grow and work. This worm is very useful for research. Scientists know a lot about its development and genes.
He has written over 100 scientific papers. Many of them are highly cited by other scientists.
His work on green fluorescent protein (GFP) started in 1988. He heard a talk about glowing sea creatures. This led to key experiments in 1992. His paper, "Green fluorescent protein as a marker for gene expression," is very famous. It is one of the most cited papers in molecular biology. He won a Golden Goose Award for this work in 2012.
In 2023, he received an honorary degree in physics. This was from the University of Parma in Italy.
See also
- List of Jewish Nobel laureates
