Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin, Chemist, Crystallographer, Peace Activist and Nobel Prize Winner

Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin was determined to succeed, which allowed her to work around obstacles. Although she was a genius, she was turned down for many positions that she applied for. The famous crystallographer, Desmond Bernal at Cambridge University decided to take a chance on her.

However, due to financial difficulty, Hodgkin had to take a position as a tutor at Oxford University. She turned this setback into an opportunity and started conducting her own research. Hodgkin won a Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1964, and was the first British Woman to do so.

Name: Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin

Birth Date: May 12, 1910 – July 29, 1994

Job Functions: Chemist and Crystallographer

Fields: Chemistry and Crystallography

Known For: 1964 Nobel Prize Winner

Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin’s Steps to Success

The one big action that consistently contributed to Dorothy Hodgkin’s success is that she selected projects that were cutting edge, always beyond the currently accepted limits of feasibility. One notable example is her initial research on the structure of cholesterol.

1. Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin became interested in chemistry by the age of ten. Unlike most girls, when she was 13 years old, she attempted to analyze minerals she had brought back to England from the Sudan where her father was director of education and antiquities.
2. Graduated from Sommerville College, Oxford University in 1931. While at Oxford, she gained proficiency in using X-ray crystallography to determine the anatomic structure of molecules. By the time she graduated from Oxford, Hodgkin had an excellent knowledge of inorganic chemistry and X-ray crystallography.
3. Despite her genius, Hodgkin was not hired for several scientific positions that she applied for.
4. The famous crystallographer, Desmond Bernal at Cambridge University decided to take a chance and hired her as a researcher, at a paltry salary of £75 per year, and she was forced to borrow £200 from a relative to meet her expenses. However, due to financial difficulty, Hodgkin had to take a position as tutor at Oxford University. She turned this setback into an opportunity and started conducting her own research.
5. Women were not allowed to join the chemistry club at Oxford, therefore she couldn’t participate in the intellectual life there.
6. In 1942, Hodgkin turned her attention to the molecular structure of penicillin, which was the first groundbreaking study in her illustrious career.
7. Along with her research students, Hodgkin determined the molecular structure of penicillin in 1945, and in the process they devised new crystallographic techniques.
8. Despite her significant contributions to science, she was not recognized with important positions as would a man. She was still a lowly tutor, steeped in debt, so she asked a senior professor to assist her in securing a position that better aligned with her skills and experience. Hodgkin secured a position as lecturer in 1946.
9. In 1948, Hodgkin decided to research the structure of vitamin B_12, which was found to ease anemia, which is a low red blood cell count. For six years, along with her research students, they worked diligently until they achieved success in 1957. Her research work with vitamin B₁₂ accelerated because of access to relatively powerful computers at the University of California at Los Angeles.
10. In 1957, promoted to a full professor position at Oxford University.
11. After World War II, the Royal Society of England made Hodgkin a fellow, which was a fait accompli because of her gender and age.
12. In 1956, Hodgkin was made a Royal Medalist of the Royal Society.
13. In 1958, she secured a highly coveted place in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
14. In 1960, The Royal Society granted Hodgkin an endowed chair.
15. In 1964, Hodgkin was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her work on penicillin and vitamin B-12. She was the first British woman, and the fifth woman, ever to be honored with a Nobel Prize in science.
16. Hodgkin now returned her attention to the crystalline structure of protein insulin. In 1969, 30 years since she first started to explore the problem, she and her staff with the aid of technology, were able to solve it.
17. During the 1960s and 1970s, Hodgkin became increasingly involved in the peace movement.
18. “In an article for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Hodgkin summed up the relationship between her life in science and in the peace movement: “How to abolish arms and achieve a peaceful world is necessarily our first objective. If some—and preferably all—of the million dollars spent every minute on arms were turned to the abolition of poverty from the world, many causes of conflict would vanish.””

Biggest Accomplishments Why Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin’s Contribution Matters

Hodgkin’s research work on the crystalline structure of protein insulin paved the way for future research by others for understanding and treating diabetes.

Lessons from Dorothy Hodgkin

1. Against all odds: During the time Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin attended Oxford University, the institution practiced gender segregation, where men and women attended classes separately, and women were prevented from joining debating clubs, science clubs and other prestigious organizations on campus.
2. No one succeeds alone: Scientific instructor such as Margery Fry, and chemist E G J Hartley supported Hodgkin so she could work on her own. In addition, later when she married, Hodgkin’s husband, Robert Hodgkin assumed most of the childcare responsibilities so that she could work in the labs in the evening.
3. Ask and you shall receive: Despite significant contributions to science, Hodgkin still held the position of tutor. With the assistance of a senior professor, she secured the position of lecturer.
4. Persistence pays: It took Hodgkin and her research students six years to figure out the structure of vitamin B₁₂.

How to Apply Information

1. Take on the difficult projects to stretch yourself. The more often you venture into uncharted territories, the greater the innovation.
2. Do not give up too quickly. Find innovative ways to work around obstacles.
3. Never be afraid to ask for assistance.

Self-Mentoring Strategy

To get the most from The Invisible Mentor Profiles, while you are reading the profile in wisdom, reflectively answer the following questions:

1. What can you learn from the person profiled?
2. Look at the way you currently do your job, are there ideas from the profile that could help you to become more efficient?
3. After reading the profile, what is one concrete action you can take?
4. What are your five takeaways from the profile?
5. How do the concepts in the profile relate to what you already know?
6. How can you combine key ideas from the profile to what you already know to create a new idea?

Further Reading

Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin, The Encyclopedia of Earth

Sources Cited/Referenced

Encyclopedia of World Biography

Science and Its Times

Scientists: Their Lives and Works

Notable Women Scientists

Women in World History

Chemistry: Foundations and Applications

Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography

Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin – Pepsina – Penicilina – Colesterol – Vitamina B12 – InsulinaGreat Lives from History, Volume 5: The 20th Century, 1901-2000: Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin-Georges Lemaitre (Great Lives from History (Salem Press))Dorothy Mary Crowfoot Hodgkin, O.M: A biographical memoir