Dorothy Mary Crowfoot, who became Dorothy Hodgkin after marriage (1910-1994), was an English chemist, a pioneer in the field of crystallography with her method for determining the geometry of complex molecules. In 1964, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her work.

Daughter of Grace Mary Crowfoot and John Crowfoot, an archaeologist, Dorothy Mary Crowfoot was born on May 12, 1910 in Cairo (Egypt). During her early years, Dorothy split her time between Asia Minor and England. During World War I, her parents left her with relatives in the United Kingdom. After the armistice, her mother decided to stay in England with her. The family continued to travel frequently, to Cairo and Khartoum.

Dorothy entered Leman school in 1921 and quickly developed a passion for science, which her mother encouraged. She studied chemistry at Somerville College, a school for girls, and then at the University of Cambridge under the guidance of physicist John Desmond Bernal, who had a great influence on her. There, she learned techniques for determining the structure of proteins. In 1937, she married Thomas Hodgkin, a teacher, educator, historian, and economist, with whom she had three children.

In 1936, Dorothy became a researcher at Somerville College and started working on insulin. At that time, the X-ray crystallography technique she had learned during her studies was not advanced enough to determine the structure of this complex hormone. Together with other scientists, she spent years perfecting this technique. Among other discoveries, she determined the geometry of cholesterol in 1937, penicillin in 1945, and vitamin B12 in 1954. Finally, in 1969, she discovered the structure of insulin, which she considered her greatest achievement. Later on, she traveled all over the world to inform people about insulin and its role in diabetes treatment.

In 1964, Dorothy received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her work in crystallography. Later, she received numerous other distinctions, including the Copley Medal, the Order of Merit, and the Lenin Peace Prize. From 1972 to 1975, she led the International Union of Crystallography. Committed to reducing the dangers of armed conflicts, she chaired the Pugwash movement (Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs) from 1976 to 1988, an international movement that works for dialogue between states and nuclear disarmament.

Dorothy has been suffering from rheumatoid arthritis since her youth. Over the years, her disease has become increasingly disabling, deforming her hands and feet and forcing her to use a wheelchair. Nevertheless, she remains active, particularly in the field of science.

Dorothy Hodgkin died on July 29, 1994 of a heart attack.