Biochemist, born in Vienna, Austria. He studied at Vienna and Cambridge, and worked at the Cavendish Laboratory on the molecular stucture of haemoglobin, using the technique of X-ray diffraction. He became director of the Medical Research Council's unit for molecular biology, shared the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1962, and was awarded the Order of Merit in 1988.
Max Ferdinand Perutz, OM (May 19, 1914 – February 6, 2002) was an Austrian-British molecular biologist.
He was born in Vienna in 1914.
During World War II, he was asked to find a way to improve the structural qualities of ice for Project Habakkuk (a secret project to build an aircraft carrier made of ice) and investigated the recently invented mixture of ice and woodpulp known as pykrete.
In 1953 Perutz showed that the diffracted X-rays from protein crystals could be phased by comparing the patterns from crystals of the protein with and without heavy atoms attached.
In the history of science, Perutz is also known as the nominal mentor of James D.
Max's flair for writing was a late development. 1998) contains a selection of his essays on science, scientists and humanity.
Max and his wife Gisela's son, Robin Perutz, is a professor of chemistry at the University of York in England.
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