Born: 25 July 1920, London, UK – Died: 2 August 1958, Cambridge, UK
British chemist and X‑ray crystallographer renowned for her pivotal role in the discovery of the double‑helix structure of DNA through high‑resolution X‑ray diffraction data.
Educated at Newnham College, Cambridge, and the University of London; later worked at King’s College London, the University of Cambridge, and the Scripps Research Institute.
Her meticulous laboratory work and data analysis have left an enduring legacy in molecular biology and crystallography.
BSc in Natural Sciences (Chemistry), 1940
PhD in Physical Chemistry, 1946 – Thesis on the properties of liquid water.
Research Associate, 1949–1954 – Conducted pioneering X‑ray diffraction studies on viruses and macromolecular crystals.
Lecturer in Physical Chemistry, 1954–1955 – Oversaw X‑ray work on biological molecules.
Research Associate, 1955–1957 – Studied the structure of the tobacco mosaic virus and other large molecules.
Obtained high‑resolution diffraction images of DNA fibers (Experiment 51), providing critical evidence for the double‑helix model.
Resolved the structure of the TMV using X‑ray crystallography, demonstrating the ability to model large biological assemblies.
Contributed to the crystallographic analysis of various protein crystals, laying groundwork for later structural biology.
Franklin was a private individual who valued rigorous science over public attention. Despite her relatively short career, her meticulous data collection and analytical skill have become a benchmark for contemporary X‑ray crystallography.
She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1956 and passed away in 1958 at the age of 38. In the decades since, her contributions have been increasingly recognized as essential to the discovery of DNA’s structure.