Dr. John Jumper

John M. Jumper is an American chemist and computer scientist, best known for his work on AlphaFold, an artificial intelligence (AI) system developed by DeepMind, designed to predict the structure of proteins. 

He currently serves as a director at DeepMind Technologies, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. Jumper and his team developed AlphaFold, which solves the long-standing problem of predicting protein folding, a crucial aspect of understanding biological processes and developing new drugs. AlphaFold's success has transformed protein structure research, allowing scientists to access over 200 million predicted protein structures via the AlphaFold Protein Structure Database.

Jumper in 2021 was named in Nature’s 10, an annual list of people who made significant impacts in science. In 2022, he won the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Biology and Biomedicine, and the Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences. In 2023, he received the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, the Canada Gairdner International Award, and the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award, all shared with his colleague Demis Hassabis. In 2024, Jumper and Hassabis were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work on AlphaFold.

Jumper's research focuses on using AI and machine learning to solve complex problems in biology, particularly in protein structure prediction. His team at DeepMind used a deep learning approach to create AlphaFold, incorporating biological knowledge into the algorithm to make accurate and rapid predictions. AlphaFold has been applied in various fields, including antibiotic resistance, plastic degradation, and drug discovery. The AlphaFold database is freely available, enabling researchers worldwide to accelerate their work.

Jumper has authored or co-authored over 30 research papers, including highly cited works such as "Highly Accurate Protein Structure Prediction with AlphaFold" and "AlphaFold Protein Structure Database: Expanding Structural Coverage." His research papers have contributed significantly to advancements in computational biology and have garnered thousands of citations.

Jumper’s academic background includes a Bachelor of Science in Physics and Mathematics from Vanderbilt University (2007), a Master of Philosophy in Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics from the University of Cambridge (2010), and a Doctor of Philosophy in Theoretical Chemistry from the University of Chicago (2017). His doctoral research focused on machine learning for protein folding and dynamics under the supervision of Tobin Sosnick and Karl Freed.

John Michael Jumper was born in 1985 in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. He developed an early interest in science, which led him to pursue studies in physics and mathematics. 

In 2007, Jumper graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics and Mathematics from Vanderbilt University. He later received a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics from the University of Cambridge in 2010, where he studied adaptive time-step methods for quantum Monte Carlo, applying them to predict the energies and geometries of small molecules. During this time, he was supported by the prestigious Marshall Scholarship.

Following his master's, Jumper worked at D. E. Shaw Research, a New York-based research lab, from 2008 to 2011. There, he performed molecular dynamics simulations, studying protein dynamics and the glass transition of supercooled liquids. His work at D. E. Shaw laid the foundation for his later contributions to the field of computational biology. 

In 2011, Jumper began his PhD studies at the University of Chicago, focusing on theoretical chemistry. His doctoral research under the supervision of Tobin Sosnick and Karl Freed centred on using machine learning for coarse-grained protein folding and dynamics. His thesis, titled New Methods Using Rigorous Machine Learning for Coarse-Grained Protein Folding and Dynamics, was completed in 2017. His research introduced new methods that significantly accelerated protein folding simulations and improved accuracy.

After completing his PhD, Jumper joined DeepMind Technologies in 2017, a company owned by Alphabet Inc. At DeepMind, Jumper initially worked on several projects before becoming the lead of the AlphaFold project. 

In 2018, he became the research lead on AlphaFold, an artificial intelligence model designed to predict the three-dimensional structures of proteins based on their amino acid sequences. 

In 2020, AlphaFold gained global recognition after it won the Critical Assessment of Structure Prediction (CASP) competition by predicting protein structures with unprecedented accuracy.

In 2021, DeepMind released the AlphaFold Protein Structure Database, making over 200 million protein structure predictions freely available to researchers around the world. This marked a significant milestone in biology and drug discovery, as predicting protein structures had been a major scientific challenge for decades. Jumper and his team’s work on AlphaFold was praised for transforming the field of structural biology, leading to advances in understanding antibiotic resistance, plastic degradation, and drug discovery. The database has since been used by over 500,000 researchers worldwide.

In 2021, he was named one of Nature’s 10, an annual list recognising scientists who made significant contributions to their fields. In 2022, he was awarded the Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences and the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Biology and Biomedicine. 

In 2023, Jumper, along with Demis Hassabis, received the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, the Canada Gairdner International Award, and the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award for their work on AlphaFold. These awards recognised AlphaFold's ability to accurately predict the structure of proteins, a major advancement in biology.

In 2024, Jumper’s work was further recognised when he and Demis Hassabis were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their development of AlphaFold. The Nobel Committee cited their contributions to solving one of the fundamental problems in biology—predicting the 3D structure of proteins—and their impact on scientific discovery. Jumper’s contributions to computational biology through AlphaFold have been widely praised for accelerating drug discovery and providing insights into biological mechanisms that were previously difficult to understand.

Throughout his career, Jumper has authored or co-authored over 30 research papers, many of which have been highly cited in the scientific community. Some of his most notable publications include Highly Accurate Protein Structure Prediction with AlphaFold, published in Nature in 2021, and AlphaFold Protein Structure Database: Expanding Structural Coverage, published in Nucleic Acids Research in 2022. His research papers have been instrumental in advancing the field of protein structure prediction and have received thousands of citations.

Currently, John Jumper is the director at DeepMind, where he continues to lead groundbreaking research in artificial intelligence and its application to scientific problems. He is focused on further developing AI models that can accelerate discoveries in biology and other scientific domains. Jumper’s work continues to influence fields such as drug discovery, materials science, and environmental science, and his contributions have cemented his place as a leading figure in the intersection of AI and biology.

John M. Jumper's vision is to continue advancing the use of artificial intelligence in solving complex scientific problems, particularly in the field of biology. Through his work at DeepMind, he aims to expand the capabilities of AI to accelerate discoveries in drug development, environmental science, and materials research. His focus is on using AI to improve our understanding of protein structures, which can lead to breakthroughs in treating diseases and addressing global challenges. Jumper's goal is to make scientific tools more accessible, allowing researchers worldwide to make faster and more impactful discoveries.

In 2021, he was named one of Nature’s 10, recognising his significant contributions to science. In 2022, he won the Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences and the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Biology and Biomedicine. In 2023, he received the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, the Canada Gairdner International Award, and the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award. In 2024, Jumper and Demis Hassabis were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work on AlphaFold.