First Jewish Recipient of the Wolf Prize in Chemistry
Record holder
Record value
11 April 1978
Carl Djerassi received the inaugural Wolf Prize in Chemistry at the Knesset in Jerusalem on 11 April 1978. The Wolf Foundation recognized his work in bioorganic chemistry, the application of new spectroscopic techniques, and his support of international scientific cooperation. Djerassi had already transformed steroid chemistry and was widely known for work leading to the first oral contraceptive. Because the Wolf Prize in Chemistry began in 1978 and Djerassi was its sole chemistry laureate that year, he is the first recipient in the category and, with his Jewish identity independently documented, the first Jewish recipient. JWR uses the exact presentation date as the Record Value and keeps the broader award-year context in the evidence and story.
- Country represented
- United States
- Achievement location
- United States
- Achievement date
- 11 April 1978