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The 57 women who have won the Nobel Prize

By Betsy Vereckey and Stacker.com

PUBLISHED: August 24, 2021 at 2:03 p.m. | UPDATED: August 24, 2021 at 6:03 p.m.

<img loading="" class="lazyload size-article_feature" data-sizes="auto" alt="The 57 women who have won the Nobel Prize | There are 57 women who have been awarded a Nobel Prize out of the more than 900 recipients. One woman — Marie Curie — received two Nobel prizes. To highlight all the winners, Stacker turned to data from the Nobel Prize website. These women have made outstanding contributions to the worlds of medicine, science, art, and peace-keeping. Just reaching this height of fame and recognition meant facing seemingly insurmountable challenges. Read on to learn about these women’s exciting contributions to society, from helpful advancements in the HIV epidemic to the abolition of landmines to — in the case of 2020 winner Andrea Ghez — pioneering research on the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole. (Alexander Heinl/picture alliance via Getty Images)” title=”The 57 women who have won the Nobel Prize | There are 57 women who have been awarded a Nobel Prize out of the more than 900 recipients. One woman — Marie Curie — received two Nobel prizes. To highlight all the winners, Stacker turned to data from the Nobel Prize website. These women have made outstanding contributions to the worlds of medicine, science, art, and peace-keeping. Just reaching this height of fame and recognition meant facing seemingly insurmountable challenges. Read on to learn about these women’s exciting contributions to society, from helpful advancements in the HIV epidemic to the abolition of landmines to — in the case of 2020 winner Andrea Ghez — pioneering research on the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole. (Alexander Heinl/picture alliance via Getty Images)” data-src=”/wp-content/uploads/migration/2021/08/24/2ER3G3RB4VHFXLDHOAO6IRJCTM.png”>

The 57 women who have won the Nobel Prize | There are 57 women who have been awarded a Nobel Prize out of the more than 900 recipients. One woman — Marie Curie — received two Nobel prizes. To highlight all the winners, Stacker turned to data from the Nobel Prize website. These women have made outstanding contributions to the worlds of medicine, science, art, and peace-keeping. Just reaching this height of fame and recognition meant facing seemingly insurmountable challenges. Read on to learn about these women’s exciting contributions to society, from helpful advancements in the HIV epidemic to the abolition of landmines to — in the case of 2020 winner Andrea Ghez — pioneering research on the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole. (Alexander Heinl/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Marie Curie (born Sklodowska) – Award: Nobel Prize in Physics – Year: 1903 | Marie Curie, who was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, coined the term “radioactivity.” In 1903, she and her husband won the Nobel Prize for Physics for their study into spontaneous radiation. They share the award with Antoine Henri Becquerel for his discovery of radioactivity. (Wikimedia Commons)

Baroness Bertha Sophie Felicita von Suttner (born Countess Kinsky von Chinic und Tettau) – Award: Nobel Peace Prize – Year: 1905 | Referred to as the “generalissimo of the peace movement,” this Austrian woman penned an anti-war novel called “Lay Down Your Arms” that won her the Nobel Peace Prize. It was one of the most influential books during the century with a strong anti-militaristic message. (Wikimedia Commons)

Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf – Award: Nobel Prize in Literature – Year: 1909 | Born in Sweden, Lagerlöf won the Nobel Prize in Literature. She’s often credited for having a vivid imagination, and she has used stories from her hometown in Värmland County as inspiration. “Gösta Berling’s Saga” was the name of her first novel. (Aron Jonason/Wikimedia Commons)

Marie Curie (born Sklodowska) - Award: Nobel Prize in Chemistry - Year: 1911 | Marie Curie received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry this year for her further investigation of radium and polonium. She was the first person to receive two Nobel Prizes, and she promoted the use of radium in the First World War to treat soldiers who were injured. (Tekniska museet/Flickr) — Marie Curie (born Sklodowska) – Award: Nobel Prize in Chemistry – Year: 1911 | Marie Curie received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry this year for her further investigation of radium and polonium. She was the first person to receive two Nobel Prizes, and she promoted the use of radium in the First World War to treat soldiers who were injured. (Tekniska museet/Flickr)

Grazia Deledda - Award: Nobel Prize in Literature - Year: 1926 | This Italian writer who lived in Rome for part of her life earned the Nobel Prize for Literature for stories about life on her native island of Sardinia. She also developed some of her characters based on people she knew in real life. (Delleved61/Dreamstime) — Grazia Deledda – Award: Nobel Prize in Literature – Year: 1926 | This Italian writer who lived in Rome for part of her life earned the Nobel Prize for Literature for stories about life on her native island of Sardinia. She also developed some of her characters based on people she knew in real life. (Delleved61/Dreamstime)

Sigrid Undset – Award: Nobel Prize in Literature – Year: 1928 | The Second World War and the Nazi invasion forced this writer to flee Norway, but she returned when the war was over. She was born in Denmark and wrote a trilogy about life in Scandinavia during the Middle Ages, called “Kristin Lavransdatter.” (National Library of Norway/Wikimedia Commons)

Jane Addams - Award: Nobel Peace Prize - Year: 1931 | Born in Cedarville, Ill., Jane Addams was a social worker and a feminist. She stood at the forefront of the settlement house movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and was the first American woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. (Bain News Service/Wikimedia Commons) — Jane Addams – Award: Nobel Peace Prize – Year: 1931 | Born in Cedarville, Ill., Jane Addams was a social worker and a feminist. She stood at the forefront of the settlement house movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and was the first American woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. (Bain News Service/Wikimedia Commons)

Irene Joliot-Curie - Award: Nobel Prize in Chemistry - Year: 1935 | Born in Paris, this French scientist was the daughter of Nobel winners Marie Curie and Pierre Curie. Jointly with her husband, Joliot-Curie was awarded the Nobel for discovering artificial radioactivity. Her research was an important step in the discovery of uranium fission. (Smithsonian Institution/Wikimedai Commons) — Irene Joliot-Curie – Award: Nobel Prize in Chemistry – Year: 1935 | Born in Paris, this French scientist was the daughter of Nobel winners Marie Curie and Pierre Curie. Jointly with her husband, Joliot-Curie was awarded the Nobel for discovering artificial radioactivity. Her research was an important step in the discovery of uranium fission. (Smithsonian Institution/Wikimedai Commons)

Pearl Buck – Award: Nobel Prize in Literature – Year: 1938 | Pearl Buck, who was born in West Virginia, began writing in the ’20s. She was the daughter of missionaries and spent most of her life before 1934 in Zhenjiang, China. Her novel “The Good Earth”won the Pulitzer Prize in 1932 and was a best-seller. (Arnold Genthe/Wikimedia Commons)

Gabriela Mistral - Award: Nobel Prize in Literature - Year: 1945 | Mistral is a pseudonym for Lucila Godoy y Alcayaga. She was born in Vicuña, Chile, and began to write poetry after her lover, a railway employee, committed suicide. She taught at various universities around the U.S. (Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Chile/Wikimedia Commons) — Gabriela Mistral – Award: Nobel Prize in Literature – Year: 1945 | Mistral is a pseudonym for Lucila Godoy y Alcayaga. She was born in Vicuña, Chile, and began to write poetry after her lover, a railway employee, committed suicide. She taught at various universities around the U.S. (Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Chile/Wikimedia Commons)

Emily Greene Balch - Award: Nobel Peace Prize - Year: 1946 | Balch was 79 when she received the Nobel. An American economist and sociologist born in Boston, she tackled difficult social issues, from poverty to immigration, that were widespread at the time. (George W. Harris/Martha Ewing/Wikimedia Commons) — Emily Greene Balch – Award: Nobel Peace Prize – Year: 1946 | Balch was 79 when she received the Nobel. An American economist and sociologist born in Boston, she tackled difficult social issues, from poverty to immigration, that were widespread at the time. (George W. Harris/Martha Ewing/Wikimedia Commons)

Gerty Theresa Cori (born Radnitz) - Award: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine - Year: 1947 | Born in Prague, Gerty Theresa Cori was a Jewish Austrian American biochemist. She was married to Carl Cori, and the two studied how the body utilizes energy. Both are credited for development of the Cori cycle, an essential part of metabolism. (Smithsonian Institution/Flickr) — Gerty Theresa Cori (born Radnitz) – Award: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine – Year: 1947 | Born in Prague, Gerty Theresa Cori was a Jewish Austrian American biochemist. She was married to Carl Cori, and the two studied how the body utilizes energy. Both are credited for development of the Cori cycle, an essential part of metabolism. (Smithsonian Institution/Flickr)

Maria Goeppert-Mayer - Award: Nobel Prize in Physics - Year: 1963 | Goeppert-Mayer was born in Germany. After she married, she migrated to America, where she worked on an American atom bomb project during World War II. Her work uncovered important discoveries about nuclear structure, and Goeppert-Mayer is one of only four women to win the Nobel Prize in physics. (energy.gov/Wikimedia Commons) — Maria Goeppert-Mayer – Award: Nobel Prize in Physics – Year: 1963 | Goeppert-Mayer was born in Germany. After she married, she migrated to America, where she worked on an American atom bomb project during World War II. Her work uncovered important discoveries about nuclear structure, and Goeppert-Mayer is one of only four women to win the Nobel Prize in physics. (energy.gov/Wikimedia Commons)

Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin - Award: Nobel Prize in Chemistry - Year: 1964 | Hodgkin was a British chemist whose interest in research began when, as a child, she received a chemistry book containing experiments with crystals. She studied at Oxford University and developed protein crystallography, which advanced the development of X-rays. This earned her the Nobel Prize. (Keystone/Getty Images) — Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin – Award: Nobel Prize in Chemistry – Year: 1964 | Hodgkin was a British chemist whose interest in research began when, as a child, she received a chemistry book containing experiments with crystals. She studied at Oxford University and developed protein crystallography, which advanced the development of X-rays. This earned her the Nobel Prize. (Keystone/Getty Images)

Nelly Sachs – Award: Nobel Prize in Literature – Year: 1966 | Nelly Sachs was a writer whose experiences during World War II resonated with other Jewish people. She wrote plays and poetry collections, such as “Zeichen im Sand,” and did not shy away from difficult subjects, such as the horrors of life in concentration camps. (Central Press/Getty Images)

Mairead Corrigan - Award: Nobel Peace Prize - Year: 1976 | A peace activist who began working in the Northern Ireland peace movement and later co-founded the Community for Peace People, Mairead Corrigan was born in Belfast. Her sister, who was the Northern Irish secretary, lost three of her children in a shooting incident in Belfast. She and a witness to the crime founded a peace organization to help put the conflict to rest. (Nashirul Islam/Wikimedia Commons) — Mairead Corrigan – Award: Nobel Peace Prize – Year: 1976 | A peace activist who began working in the Northern Ireland peace movement and later co-founded the Community for Peace People, Mairead Corrigan was born in Belfast. Her sister, who was the Northern Irish secretary, lost three of her children in a shooting incident in Belfast. She and a witness to the crime founded a peace organization to help put the conflict to rest. (Nashirul Islam/Wikimedia Commons)

Betty Williams - Award: Nobel Peace Prize - Year: 1976 | Betty Williams was the witness to the killing of Mairead Corrigan's sister's three children, and she jointly shares the Nobel Peace Prize with Corrigan, as the co-founder of the Community for Peace People. An advocate of religious tolerance, Williams is the daughter of a Protestant father and Catholic mother. (Tsui/Wikimedia Commons) — Betty Williams – Award: Nobel Peace Prize – Year: 1976 | Betty Williams was the witness to the killing of Mairead Corrigan’s sister’s three children, and she jointly shares the Nobel Peace Prize with Corrigan, as the co-founder of the Community for Peace People. An advocate of religious tolerance, Williams is the daughter of a Protestant father and Catholic mother. (Tsui/Wikimedia Commons)

Rosalyn Sussman Yalow - Award: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine - Year: 1977 | Rosalyn Yalow, a lifelong New Yorker, was a nuclear physicist. She shares the Nobel for the development of the radioimmunoassay (RIA) technique with physician Solomon Berson. The duo proved that type 2 diabetes is caused by the body's inefficient use — not a lack — of insulin. RIA can be used to measure hormones in the blood. (Keystone/Wikimedia Commons) — Rosalyn Sussman Yalow – Award: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine – Year: 1977 | Rosalyn Yalow, a lifelong New Yorker, was a nuclear physicist. She shares the Nobel for the development of the radioimmunoassay (RIA) technique with physician Solomon Berson. The duo proved that type 2 diabetes is caused by the body’s inefficient use — not a lack — of insulin. RIA can be used to measure hormones in the blood. (Keystone/Wikimedia Commons)

Mother Teresa - Award: Nobel Peace Prize - Year: 1979 | Mother Teresa was only 12 when she felt called to God and became a missionary. She joined the convent, then left to work among the slums of Calcutta. Wanting to help, she created the Missionaries of Charity, and by the same year she won her Nobel, there were 158 Missionaries of Charity foundations. (Philip K/Flickr) — Mother Teresa – Award: Nobel Peace Prize – Year: 1979 | Mother Teresa was only 12 when she felt called to God and became a missionary. She joined the convent, then left to work among the slums of Calcutta. Wanting to help, she created the Missionaries of Charity, and by the same year she won her Nobel, there were 158 Missionaries of Charity foundations. (Philip K/Flickr)

Alva Myrdal - Award: Nobel Peace Prize - Year: 1982 | This Swedish diplomat shared the Nobel with Alfonso Garcia Robles, a Mexican diplomat who, like Myrdal, advocated nuclear disarmament. Myrdal worked for the United Nations and for UNESCO. (STF/AFP/Getty Images) — Alva Myrdal – Award: Nobel Peace Prize – Year: 1982 | This Swedish diplomat shared the Nobel with Alfonso Garcia Robles, a Mexican diplomat who, like Myrdal, advocated nuclear disarmament. Myrdal worked for the United Nations and for UNESCO. (STF/AFP/Getty Images)

Barbara McClintock - Award: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine - Year: 1983 | By studying the hereditary of corn, such as the different colors of kernels, McClintock proved that genetic elements can sometimes swap into a new position on a chromosome. McClintock, who was from Connecticut, studied at Cornell's College of Agriculture. (Smithsonian Institution/Wikimedia Commons) — Barbara McClintock – Award: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine – Year: 1983 | By studying the hereditary of corn, such as the different colors of kernels, McClintock proved that genetic elements can sometimes swap into a new position on a chromosome. McClintock, who was from Connecticut, studied at Cornell’s College of Agriculture. (Smithsonian Institution/Wikimedia Commons)

Rita Levi-Montalcini – Award: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine – Year: 1986 | Born in Italy, Rita Levi-Montalcini received the Nobel for her work in neurobiology. She shares the honor jointly with her colleague Stanley Cohen for the discovery of “nerve growth factor” that has shed new light on tumors, wound healing, and other medical problems. (audrey_sel/Wikimedia Commons)

Gertrude B. Elion - Award: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine - Year: 1988 | Gertrude Elion's discoveries of important principles for drug treatment garnered the Nobel for her. Elion had watched her grandfather die of cancer, and she vowed to fight the disease throughout her life. Elion, together with George Hitchings — who shares the award with her — created a system for drug production that relies heavily on biochemistry. (Wikimedia Commons) — Gertrude B. Elion – Award: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine – Year: 1988 | Gertrude Elion’s discoveries of important principles for drug treatment garnered the Nobel for her. Elion had watched her grandfather die of cancer, and she vowed to fight the disease throughout her life. Elion, together with George Hitchings — who shares the award with her — created a system for drug production that relies heavily on biochemistry. (Wikimedia Commons)

Nadine Gordimer – Award: Nobel Prize in Literature – Year: 1991 | Nadine Gordimer, a South African child of Jewish immigrants, was a writer who was only 15 when her first literary work was published. But it was her novel, “The Conservationist,” for which she was well known. A good portion of her work discussed apartheid.

Aung San Suu Kyi - Award: Nobel Peace Prize - Year: 1991 | Aung San Suu Kyi is a complicated figure in Myanmar (formerly Burma). When she was awarded the Peace Price in 1991, she was under house arrest for her efforts to bring democracy to the country, assuming a leading role in opposing Burma's military junta. The party she founded, the National League for Democracy, won in a landslide in 2015, bringing her to power. But her legacy has been defiled in her treatment of Myanmar's mostly Muslim Rohingya minority. In 2021 she was deposed in a military coup, who took control of the country, placing her back under house arrest. (Claude Truong-Ngoc/Wikimedia Commons) — Aung San Suu Kyi – Award: Nobel Peace Prize – Year: 1991 | Aung San Suu Kyi is a complicated figure in Myanmar (formerly Burma). When she was awarded the Peace Price in 1991, she was under house arrest for her efforts to bring democracy to the country, assuming a leading role in opposing Burma’s military junta. The party she founded, the National League for Democracy, won in a landslide in 2015, bringing her to power. But her legacy has been defiled in her treatment of Myanmar’s mostly Muslim Rohingya minority. In 2021 she was deposed in a military coup, who took control of the country, placing her back under house arrest. (Claude Truong-Ngoc/Wikimedia Commons)

Rigoberta Menchú Tum – Award: Nobel Peace Prize – Year: 1992 | This Guatemalan Indian-rights activist gained worldwide attention with her book “I, Rigoberta Menchú,” a memoir that recaps the murders of her brother and mother. She received the Nobel for efforts to achieve social justice in Guatemala. (Carlos Rodriguez/Andes/Wikimedia Commons)

Toni Morrison – Award: Nobel Prize in Literature – Year: 1993 | Toni Morrison’s book “Beloved” earned her the Pulitzer Prize and the American Book Award. Born in Ohio, Morrison was a writer whose work often chronicled life in the Black community; she also served as professor emeritus at Princeton University. (West Point/Wikimedia Commons)

Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard – Award: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine – Year: 1995 | Called “decidedly lazy” by a high school teacher, Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard is a geneticist who published her first book for a popular audience, “Coming to Life,” in 2006. She took the helm of a landmark study that looked at genetic mutations in the fruit fly. (Rama/Wikimedia Commons)

Wislawa Szymborska – Award: Nobel Prize in Literature – Year: 1996 | A native of Poland, Wislawa Szymborska was recognized by the Nobel committee for writing poetry that has “ironic precision.” Szymborska lived most of her life in Krakow. She attended Jagiellonian University and studied Polish literature. (Juan de Vojníkov/Wikimedia Commons)

Jody Williams - Award: Nobel Peace Prize - Year: 1997 | Jody Williams, born in Vermont, advocates against landmines and is a prominent peace activist. She got her feet wet doing aid work in El Salvador and helped launch an international campaign against landmines. (Horasis/flickr) — Jody Williams – Award: Nobel Peace Prize – Year: 1997 | Jody Williams, born in Vermont, advocates against landmines and is a prominent peace activist. She got her feet wet doing aid work in El Salvador and helped launch an international campaign against landmines. (Horasis/flickr)

Shirin Ebadi - Award: Nobel Peace Prize - Year: 2003 | Ebadi earned her Nobel for spearheading democracy and furthering human rights, especially as they relate to women, refugees, and children. She's also an Iranian lawyer and the founder of the Defenders of Human Rights Center. (Nashirul Islam/Wikimedia Commons) — Shirin Ebadi – Award: Nobel Peace Prize – Year: 2003 | Ebadi earned her Nobel for spearheading democracy and furthering human rights, especially as they relate to women, refugees, and children. She’s also an Iranian lawyer and the founder of the Defenders of Human Rights Center. (Nashirul Islam/Wikimedia Commons)

Linda B. Buck - Award: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine - Year: 2004 | Buck attributes her mother's interest in puzzles as what ignited the flame for her interest in science. She is an American biologist and Seattle native whose work on olfactory receptors earned her the Nobel, along with Richard Axel. (The Royal Society/Wikimedia Commons) — Linda B. Buck – Award: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine – Year: 2004 | Buck attributes her mother’s interest in puzzles as what ignited the flame for her interest in science. She is an American biologist and Seattle native whose work on olfactory receptors earned her the Nobel, along with Richard Axel. (The Royal Society/Wikimedia Commons)

Wangari Muta Maathai - Award: Nobel Peace Prize - Year: 2004 | Born in Nyeri, Kenya, Wangari Muta Maathai was the first woman in East and Central Africa to receive a doctorate degree. All her work to advance democracy and human rights earned her Nobel. She has spoken in front of the U.N. and at special sessions of the General Assembly. (The-time-line/Wikimedia Commons) — Wangari Muta Maathai – Award: Nobel Peace Prize – Year: 2004 | Born in Nyeri, Kenya, Wangari Muta Maathai was the first woman in East and Central Africa to receive a doctorate degree. All her work to advance democracy and human rights earned her Nobel. She has spoken in front of the U.N. and at special sessions of the General Assembly. (The-time-line/Wikimedia Commons)

Elfriede Jelinek – Award: Nobel Prize in Literature – Year: 2004 | Although a social phobia prevented this Austrian author from accepting her Nobel in person, Jelinek has composed famous works such as the novels “The Piano Teacher” and “Lust.” She is a critic of modern consumer society and sets out in her work to chronicle the hidden structures of topics such as sexism. (Ghuengsberg/Wikimedia Commons)

Doris Lessing - Award: Nobel Prize in Literature - Year: 2007 | First published at age 15, Lessing was a visionary novelist, poet, and playwright. She was born in Iran to British parents, later moved to London, and has written 50 books. (Elke Wetzig/Wikimedia Commons) — Doris Lessing – Award: Nobel Prize in Literature – Year: 2007 | First published at age 15, Lessing was a visionary novelist, poet, and playwright. She was born in Iran to British parents, later moved to London, and has written 50 books. (Elke Wetzig/Wikimedia Commons)

Francoise Barré-Sinoussi - Award: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine - Year: 2008 | Francoise Barré-Sinoussi made strides against the AIDS epidemic and in advancing treatment for her work with HIV. Barré-Sinoussi shares the Nobel with Luc Montagnier, who discovered a retrovirus in patients marked with swollen lymph glands that attacked lymphocytes. (Michael Fleshman/Flickr) — Francoise Barré-Sinoussi – Award: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine – Year: 2008 | Francoise Barré-Sinoussi made strides against the AIDS epidemic and in advancing treatment for her work with HIV. Barré-Sinoussi shares the Nobel with Luc Montagnier, who discovered a retrovirus in patients marked with swollen lymph glands that attacked lymphocytes. (Michael Fleshman/Flickr)

Carol W. Greider - Award: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine - Year: 2009 | Carol Greider, an American molecular biologist, is a professor at Johns Hopkins University. She shares her Nobel with Elizabeth Blackburn and Jack W. Szostak for their studies of the telomere, an enzyme structure at the end of chromosomes that protects it. (Prolineserver/Wikimedia Commons) — Carol W. Greider – Award: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine – Year: 2009 | Carol Greider, an American molecular biologist, is a professor at Johns Hopkins University. She shares her Nobel with Elizabeth Blackburn and Jack W. Szostak for their studies of the telomere, an enzyme structure at the end of chromosomes that protects it. (Prolineserver/Wikimedia Commons)

Herta Müller - Award: Nobel Prize in Literature - Year: 2009 | This Romanian-born German writer won the Nobel Prize for writings that showcased the harshness of life in Romania under dictator Nicolae Ceau?escu. Themes such as totalitarianism and exile are the threads that permeate her work. (Heike Huslage-Koch/Wikimedia Commons) — Herta Müller – Award: Nobel Prize in Literature – Year: 2009 | This Romanian-born German writer won the Nobel Prize for writings that showcased the harshness of life in Romania under dictator Nicolae Ceau?escu. Themes such as totalitarianism and exile are the threads that permeate her work. (Heike Huslage-Koch/Wikimedia Commons)

Elinor Ostrom - Award: Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel - Year: 2009 | Elinor Ostrom was an American political economist whose groundbreaking research revealed that ordinary people can create guidelines that allow for the sustainable and fair management of shared resources. This discovery earned her the Nobel, which she shared with economist Oliver Williamson, a University of California, Berkeley professor. (Prolineserver/Wikimedia Commons) — Elinor Ostrom – Award: Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel – Year: 2009 | Elinor Ostrom was an American political economist whose groundbreaking research revealed that ordinary people can create guidelines that allow for the sustainable and fair management of shared resources. This discovery earned her the Nobel, which she shared with economist Oliver Williamson, a University of California, Berkeley professor. (Prolineserver/Wikimedia Commons)

Elizabeth H. Blackburn - Award: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine - Year: 2009 | The daughter of two doctors, Blackburn studied the telomere, a structure at the end of chromosomes that protects it. She is responsible for co-discovering telomerase, which is an enzyme that replenishes the telomere. She shares her Nobel with Carol W. Greider and Jack W. Szostak. (US Embassy Sweden/Wikimedia Commons) — Elizabeth H. Blackburn – Award: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine – Year: 2009 | The daughter of two doctors, Blackburn studied the telomere, a structure at the end of chromosomes that protects it. She is responsible for co-discovering telomerase, which is an enzyme that replenishes the telomere. She shares her Nobel with Carol W. Greider and Jack W. Szostak. (US Embassy Sweden/Wikimedia Commons)

Ada E. Yonath - Award: Nobel Prize in Chemistry - Year: 2009 | Ada E. Yonath is an Israeli crystallographer best known for her work on the structure of the ribosome, a cellular particle. As a post-doc fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she started to investigate the structure of ribosomes using X-ray crystallography. Yonath is a member of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities. (Germán Fuentes Pavez/Flickr) — Ada E. Yonath – Award: Nobel Prize in Chemistry – Year: 2009 | Ada E. Yonath is an Israeli crystallographer best known for her work on the structure of the ribosome, a cellular particle. As a post-doc fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she started to investigate the structure of ribosomes using X-ray crystallography. Yonath is a member of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities. (Germán Fuentes Pavez/Flickr)

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf - Award: Nobel Peace Prize - Year: 2011 | Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was the first elected female head of state in Africa. She has written many books and was one of three recipients — along with Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkol Karman, who won the Nobel for efforts to further women's rights. (Chatham House/Wikimedia Commons) — Ellen Johnson Sirleaf – Award: Nobel Peace Prize – Year: 2011 | Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was the first elected female head of state in Africa. She has written many books and was one of three recipients — along with Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkol Karman, who won the Nobel for efforts to further women’s rights. (Chatham House/Wikimedia Commons)

Tawakkol Karman - Award: Nobel Peace Prize - Year: 2011 | A Yemeni journalist, Karman has been involved in demonstrations and actions critical of the Yemeni regime, where democracy is restricted. She has even been arrested, and murder threats were made on her life. Karman co-founded the group Women Journalists Without Chains to promote freedom of expression and democratic rights. (Nashirul Islam/Wikimedia Commons) — Tawakkol Karman – Award: Nobel Peace Prize – Year: 2011 | A Yemeni journalist, Karman has been involved in demonstrations and actions critical of the Yemeni regime, where democracy is restricted. She has even been arrested, and murder threats were made on her life. Karman co-founded the group Women Journalists Without Chains to promote freedom of expression and democratic rights. (Nashirul Islam/Wikimedia Commons)

Leymah Gbowee - Award: Nobel Peace Prize - Year: 2011 | This Liberian peace activist is the founder and president of the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa. She's most recognized for leading a peaceful movement, combining both Christian and Muslim women, to help end Liberia's civil war. (Fronteiras do Pensamento/Wikimedia Commons) — Leymah Gbowee – Award: Nobel Peace Prize – Year: 2011 | This Liberian peace activist is the founder and president of the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa. She’s most recognized for leading a peaceful movement, combining both Christian and Muslim women, to help end Liberia’s civil war. (Fronteiras do Pensamento/Wikimedia Commons)

Alice Munro - Award: Nobel Prize in Literature - Year: 2013 | Most of Munro's books are short story collections. Most of them are set in her home nation of Canada and examine relationships through the lens of everyday events. They are not first person, but most of them reflect her experiences. (Peter Muhly/Getty Images) — Alice Munro – Award: Nobel Prize in Literature – Year: 2013 | Most of Munro’s books are short story collections. Most of them are set in her home nation of Canada and examine relationships through the lens of everyday events. They are not first person, but most of them reflect her experiences. (Peter Muhly/Getty Images)

Malala Yousafzai - Award: Nobel Peace Prize - Year: 2014 | Malala Yousafzai has made a huge impact in Pakistan, demanding gender equality, specifically fighting for girls to be allowed to receive an education. A Taliban gunman shot her in the head when she was coming home from school in 2012, but she survived and won the Nobel Peace Prize two years later, becoming the youngest-ever Nobel laureate. (Simon Davis/Wikimedia Commons) — Malala Yousafzai – Award: Nobel Peace Prize – Year: 2014 | Malala Yousafzai has made a huge impact in Pakistan, demanding gender equality, specifically fighting for girls to be allowed to receive an education. A Taliban gunman shot her in the head when she was coming home from school in 2012, but she survived and won the Nobel Peace Prize two years later, becoming the youngest-ever Nobel laureate. (Simon Davis/Wikimedia Commons)

May-Britt Moser - Award: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine - Year: 2014 | May-Britt Moser studied psychology and made a crucial discovery that provided insight on how humans and animals know where they are. Moser found a certain cell that determines one's position; it is close to the hippocampus, centrally located in the brain. (Gunnar K. Hansen/Wikimedia Commons) — May-Britt Moser – Award: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine – Year: 2014 | May-Britt Moser studied psychology and made a crucial discovery that provided insight on how humans and animals know where they are. Moser found a certain cell that determines one’s position; it is close to the hippocampus, centrally located in the brain. (Gunnar K. Hansen/Wikimedia Commons)

Youyou Tu - Award: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine - Year: 2015 | Youyou Tu extracted a substance called artemisinin that inhibits the malaria parasite. This discovery was crucial to the creation of anti-malaria drugs based on artemisinin. They have boosted survival rates and made a huge difference in health care for millions of people. (Bengt Nyman/Wikimedia Commons) — Youyou Tu – Award: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine – Year: 2015 | Youyou Tu extracted a substance called artemisinin that inhibits the malaria parasite. This discovery was crucial to the creation of anti-malaria drugs based on artemisinin. They have boosted survival rates and made a huge difference in health care for millions of people. (Bengt Nyman/Wikimedia Commons)

Svetlana Alexievich – Award: Nobel Prize in Literature – Year: 2015 | Svetlana Alexievich was born in the Ukraine, and her writing depicts life in the time of the Soviet Union. Her so-called “documentary novels,” blur the lines between journalistic reporting and fiction. Her books often take aim at political regimes in the Soviet Union and Belarus. (Elke Wetzig/Wikimedia Commons)

Donna Strickland – Award: Nobel Prize in Physics – Year: 2018 | Donna Strickland received the Nobel Prize in 2018, splitting it with Arthur Ashkin and Gérard Mourou, all of whom are instrumental figures in the field of laser physics. Born in Ontario, Canada, Strickland published her pioneering work, along with Mourou, in 1985, which detailed the invention of “chirped optical pulses,” super-fast strobes of laser beams. That technology is now used in laser eye surgeries, machining, medicine, and other applications. (Cole Burston/Getty Images)

Frances Arnold - Award: Nobel Prize in Chemistry - Year: 2018 | Frances Arnold was born and raised in Edgewood, a suburb of Pittsburgh, the daughter of a nuclear scientist. After graduating from Princeton, she conducted groundbreaking research on the directed evolution of enzymes, a process by which specially engineered proteins are created. She's the first American woman, and the fifth woman overall, to receive the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. She won the prize with George P. Smith and Sir Gregory P. Winter. (Heikki Saukkomaa/AFP/Getty Images) — Frances Arnold – Award: Nobel Prize in Chemistry – Year: 2018 | Frances Arnold was born and raised in Edgewood, a suburb of Pittsburgh, the daughter of a nuclear scientist. After graduating from Princeton, she conducted groundbreaking research on the directed evolution of enzymes, a process by which specially engineered proteins are created. She’s the first American woman, and the fifth woman overall, to receive the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. She won the prize with George P. Smith and Sir Gregory P. Winter. (Heikki Saukkomaa/AFP/Getty Images)

Nadia Murad - Award: Nobel Prize in Peace - Year: 2018 | Nadia Murad is a human-rights activist who works in her home country of Iraq to help women and children who are victims of human trafficking, genocide, and other abuses. A member of the ethnic Yazidi minority, Murad was held captive by the Islamic State for three months before she escaped to a refugee camp. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2018 with Denis Mukwege, who treats women who are the victims of rape in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Julian Stratenschulte/AFP/Getty Images) — Nadia Murad – Award: Nobel Prize in Peace – Year: 2018 | Nadia Murad is a human-rights activist who works in her home country of Iraq to help women and children who are victims of human trafficking, genocide, and other abuses. A member of the ethnic Yazidi minority, Murad was held captive by the Islamic State for three months before she escaped to a refugee camp. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2018 with Denis Mukwege, who treats women who are the victims of rape in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Julian Stratenschulte/AFP/Getty Images)

Olga Tokarczuk – Award: Nobel Prize in Literature – Year: 2018 | Olga Tokarczuk was awarded her Nobel “for a narrative imagination that with encyclopedic passion represents the crossing of boundaries as a form of life.” Tokarczuk became the first Polish winner of the prestigious Man Booker International Prize in 2018 for her novel “Flights,” which was translated by Jennifer Croft. While Tokarczuk is referred to as the leading novelist of her generation in her native country, she has only more recently begun gaining recognition in English-speaking countries. (Britta Pedersen/dpa/AFP via Getty Images)

Andrea Ghez – Award: Nobel Prize in Physics – Year: 2020 | Andrea Ghez became the fourth woman to win a Nobel Prize for physics for her work studying the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy. She is the director at UCLA’s Galactic Center Group, where she studies how gravity works near the black hole. “Our observations are consistent with Einstein’s general theory of relativity,” Ghez said. “However, his theory is definitely showing vulnerability.” She shares the Nobel Prize in physics with Reinhard Genzel. (Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Women A.R.E.)

Jennifer A. Doudna - Award: Nobel Prize in Chemistry - Year: 2020 | The 2020 Nobel chemistry prize was awarded to Jennifer A. Doudna (at left in photo) and Emmanuelle Charpentier. The pair were awarded for their development of the CRISPR–Cas9 gene-editing tools. Doudna teaches at Berkeley and led a team of scientists in using the CRISPR technology to develop a rapid test for COVID-19. (Alexander Heinl/picture alliance via Getty Images) — Jennifer A. Doudna – Award: Nobel Prize in Chemistry – Year: 2020 | The 2020 Nobel chemistry prize was awarded to Jennifer A. Doudna (at left in photo) and Emmanuelle Charpentier. The pair were awarded for their development of the CRISPR–Cas9 gene-editing tools. Doudna teaches at Berkeley and led a team of scientists in using the CRISPR technology to develop a rapid test for COVID-19. (Alexander Heinl/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Emmanuelle Charpentier – Award: Nobel Prize in Chemistry – Year: 2020 | Along with Jennifer A. Doudna, Emmanuelle Charpentier won the Prize in Chemistry”for the development of a method for genome editing.” Their joint award marked the first time women scientists won a Nobel without a male collaborator. Charpentier is a French researcher, and in 2018, founded the Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens in Berlin. (Maja Hitij/Getty Images)

Louise Glück – Award: Nobel Prize in Literature – Year: 2020 | American poet Louise Glück, currently a professor of English at Yale University, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for what the Swedish Academy called “her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal.” Glück has been the recipient of multiple awards throughout her career, including a Pulitzer Prize in 1993 and the National Book Award in 2014. (Robin Marchant/Getty Images)