Photo: Gerbil / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Elizabeth Blackburn is exactly the kind of person I think deserves far more household recognition than she gets. Born in Hobart, Tasmania and educated at the University of Melbourne, she co-discovered telomerase with Carol Greider, work that earned her the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. The award list is staggering: Lasker, Gairdner, Benjamin Franklin Medal, L'Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science. Telomeres sit right at the heart of how we age, so her science feels personally relevant in a way most discoveries don't. I find it inspiring that she later led the Salk Institute, proving great researchers can also lead institutions.
Overview
Elizabeth Helen Blackburn (born 26 November 1948) is an Australian–American Nobel laureate who is the former president of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. In 1984, Blackburn co-discovered telomerase, the enzyme that replenishes the telomere, with Carol W. Greider. For this work, she was awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, sharing it with Carol W. Greider and Jack W.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Elizabeth Blackburn
- Name (Japanese)
- エリザベス・H・ブラックバーン
- Reading
- えりざべす・H・ぶらっくばーん
- Born
- November 26, 1948 (age 77)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Sagittarius / Rat
- Origin
- Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- biologist / molecular biologist / biochemist / university teacher
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- University High School
- University
- University of Melbourne
Awards & achievements
- 2006 Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research
- 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
- 2008 L'Oréal-UNESCO Award For Women in Science
- 2005 Benjamin Franklin Medal
- 1999 Harvey Prize
- 1998 Canada Gairdner International Award
- 2009 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize
- 2007 Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.