Kent Hall at the University of Chicago was filled as scientists and students gathered to hear John Jumper, a UChicago alum who won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, speak. Jumper is known for his role in developing AlphaFold, an AI system that transformed protein structure prediction. He earned his master's degree in 2012 and Ph.D. in 2017 in theoretical chemistry at UChicago.
The lecture celebrated scientific advancement and the environment that fostered such progress. Jumper expressed gratitude to his mentors, Professors Tobin Sosnick and Karl Freed, reflecting on the intellectual rigor and camaraderie during his research at UChicago. "One of the great things about being in Tobin and Karl's lab—and they really had a joint lab at that point—was that they worked on experiment, they worked on theory, and they worked at the intersection," Jumper stated. "Working shoulder to shoulder with experimentalists...it's a really important experience for computational scientists to do the work that causes people to do new experiments, and I couldn't think of a better place to learn it."
Jumper explained how AlphaFold changed biological and biochemical research by accurately predicting the 3D structure of proteins from amino acid sequences. Unlike other machine learning models, AlphaFold used biological knowledge and principles in its neural network architecture. This approach has allowed AlphaFold to achieve high accuracy and assist researchers in their studies.
Jumper also discussed the future of AI in life sciences, stressing the importance of interpretable models and ethical considerations.
Since 1992, the Bloch Lecture has taken place at UChicago in honor of alumnus Herman Bloch. The event recognizes chemists and chemical engineers who have made significant contributions to science while working in industry. It also promotes dialogue between academic and industrial researchers.
—Adapted from an article first published by the University of Chicago Chemistry Department.