In Memory of Ada E. Yonath
With deep sadness, the Wilhelm Exner Medaillen Stiftung mourns the passing of Prof. Ada E. Yonath, who died on August 31, 2026, at the age of 87.
3. September 2026
Ada’s path was not an easy one. Raised in Jerusalem in modest circumstances, she pursued a scientific question many considered impossible to answer. Her persistence proved otherwise. At the Weizmann Institute of Science, she established Israel’s first protein crystallography lab and, over decades of dedicated research, revealed the structure of the ribosome: the molecular machinery inside every cell responsible for building proteins.
This achievement earned her the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, making her the first Israeli woman to receive one, and continues to inform the fight against antibiotic resistance today. In 2010, we were honoured to award her the Wilhelm Exner Medal in recognition of her contributions to science.
We extend our sincere condolences to her family, colleagues, students, and friends. Prof. Yonath’s curiosity, courage, and perseverance leave a lasting legacy for scientists everywhere.