Frances Arnold

Dr. Frances Arnold was a lackadaisical student in school before going to college. She is a biochemist who received the 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her work on directed evolution, a way to create enzymes with desired performance characteristics through a process that mimics natural evolution. In this process, mutations are introduced into the DNA of the organism to produce new enzymes that are used to act on chemical processes. Enzymes that produce desired effects are amplified and iterated upon to yield new chemical systems. Dr. Arnold’s work has led to important advances in agriculture, pharmaceuticals, industrial chemicals, and biofuels. Enzymes are broadly discussed in this chapter.