James Watson Biography

James Watson and fellow scientist Francis Crick are credited with being the first to describe the hidden double-helix structure of DNA molecules.

They published their findings in the journal Nature in April of 1953; the discovery was considered tremendously significant, and in 1962 Watson and Crick and their collaborator Maurice Wilkins were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine.

His account of his DNA discoveries with Crick, The Double Helix, was published in 1968.

Watson was on the faculty of Harvard University for 21 years, from 1956-76, and was director of the National Center for Human Genome Research from 1989-92, after which he served as president and later as chancellor of Cold Springs Harbor Laboratory in New York.

In later years he was known for controversial off-the-cuff remarks on various topics related to genetics and gender.

Watson resigned as chancellor of Cold Springs Harbor in 2007 after causing an uproar by suggesting that people from Africa were genetically less intelligent than whites. Past remarks demeaning women and black Africans surfaced and Watson’s professional associations suffered. In 2014 he sold his Nobel Prize, claiming he needed the money “because no one wants to admit I exist.”

Watson’s books include DNA: The Secret of Life (2003) and Avoid Boring People (2007).