Maurice Wilkins

New Zealand-born British biophysicist

Born: December 15, 1916 · Died: October 5, 2004

Famous Persons

Who was Maurice Wilkins?

Maurice Hugh Frederick Wilkins (15 December 1916 – 5 October 2004) was a New Zealand-born British biophysicist and Nobel laureate whose research spanned multiple areas of physics and biophysics, contributing to the scientific understanding of phosphorescence, isotope separation, optical microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. He is most noted for initiating and leading early X-ray diffraction studies on DNA at King's College London, and for his pivotal role in enabling the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA. In 1951, Rosalind Franklin joined King’s College and was assigned to the same DNA project, though without a clear delineation of leadership. Wilkins began investigating nucleic acids in 1948. He presented this work in 1951 at a conference in Naples, where it significantly influenced James Watson, prompting Watson to pursue DNA structure research with Francis Crick. Tensions developed due to overlapping roles and lack of administrative clarity.

Monument to Maurice Wilkins, Main Street, Pongaroa, New Zealand

Historical significance

By 1950, he and his team had produced some of the first high-quality X-ray diffraction images of DNA fibers.

A plaque commemorating Maurice Wilkins and his discovery, beneath the monument, Pongaroa, New Zealand

Sources and further reading

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Wikipedia source

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MLA

“Maurice Wilkins.” thisDay, thisday.info/people/maurice-wilkins/. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

APA

Maurice Wilkins. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved October 5, 2026, from https://thisday.info/people/maurice-wilkins/

Chicago

“Maurice Wilkins.” thisDay. Accessed October 5, 2026. https://thisday.info/people/maurice-wilkins/.

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