Dorothy Hodgkin studied chemistry at Somerville College, but moved to Cambridge University to work on the development of x-ray crystallography. In 1934, Hodgkin returned to Oxford and carried out research into the structure of penicillin. Hodgkin was eventually able to establish that penicillin consisted of a ring of three carbons and nitrogen. She then went on to determine the structure of the antibiotic cephalosporin C.
Hodgkin became the first scientist in Britain, to use a computer to analyze the molecular structure of complex chemicals. This enabled her to produce three-dimensional models. In 1948, Hodgkin began her work on vitamin B12. Hodgkin and her team took eight years to determine its structure. Later, she carried out research into the structure of insulin.
Dorothy won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1964. She was also awarded the Lenin Peace Prize in 1987. She was a great chemist, and a tolerant lover of people.