Professor Geoffrey E. Hinton, founder of the Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit at UCL, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics on 8 October 2024, alongside Professor John J. Hopfield, for their groundbreaking work in enabling machine learning through artificial neural networks. Often referred to as the ‘godfather of AI,’ Hinton is renowned for his pivotal contributions to the development of the foundational models that underpin current AI technologies, including systems like ChatGPT.
On 9 October 2024, Sir Demis Hassabis, a former PhD student at the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology and postdoctoral researcher at the Gatsby Unit, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. As co-founder and CEO of Google DeepMind, Hassabis, along with John Jumper and Professor David Baker, was honoured for his pioneering work on computational protein design and protein structure prediction.
These achievements highlight UCL’s leadership in artificial intelligence and computational sciences, continuing the university’s legacy of transformative research and global impact.
