David Baker, Ph.D.

Board Observer, Co-Founder

Nobel Laureate David Baker, Ph.D. is a University of Washington (UW) Professor of Biochemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and director of the Institute for Protein Design (IPD). The Baker Lab develops protein design software to create molecules that solve challenges in medicine, technology and sustainability. Among his recent work is the creation of powerful machine-learning methods for generating functional proteins. 

David is also an adjunct professor of genome sciences, bioengineering, chemical engineering, computer science and physics at the University of Washington. He has published over 640 research papers, co-founded 21 companies and been awarded more than 100 patents. Ninety of his mentees have gone on to hold independent faculty positions. 

David is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences and a recipient of numerous awards, including the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. TIME named him among the world’s 100 Most Influential People in health. 

He performed doctorate research in biochemistry with Randy Schekman, Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley, and did postdoctoral work in biophysics with David Agard, Ph.D. at UCSF. 

---