# The 2026 Nobel Prize winners, up close

Ten laureates across six prizes, researched with Autumn (https://www.autumn.ai) from public sources. Updated 2026-10-13. Interactive version: https://www.autumn.ai/resources/nobel

## Winners by prize

| Prize | Announced | Laureates | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physiology or Medicine | Oct 5, 2026 | Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, Georg Nagel | for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics |
| Physics | Oct 6, 2026 | Francis Halzen | for decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin |
| Chemistry | Oct 7, 2026 | Henri B. Kagan, Kenso Soai | for the discovery of non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis |
| Literature | Oct 8, 2026 | Anne Carson | for her bold and inventive oeuvre that, in playful dialogue with the classical tradition, has created new forms for contemporary literature |
| Peace | Oct 9, 2026 | Navi Pillay | for her efforts to promote peace and international law |
| Economic Sciences | Oct 12, 2026 | Robert E. Hall, Michael Woodford | for microeconomic foundations of macroeconomic stabilisation |

## Physiology or Medicine

Citation: “for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics” (https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2026/summary/)

### Karl Deisseroth

Physiology or Medicine · American · born Boston, Massachusetts, USA, 1971 · age 54 at the announcement · Stanford University; Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Full profile: https://www.autumn.ai/resources/nobel/deisseroth

**Key work:** “Millisecond-timescale, genetically targeted optical control of neural activity,” Nature Neuroscience, 2005 (21 years before the prize). [1](https://www.nobelprize.org/uploads/2026/10/advanced-medicineprize2026.pdf)

**The call (12:27 a.m., Pacific):** Had just gone to bed after writing late into the night, and missed the call. Stockholm rang his wife's phone instead: “May we speak with Karl?” [1](https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2026/deisseroth/interview/) [2](https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2026/10/karl-deisseroth-nobel-prize-physiology-medicine)

**Career:**
- 1992: BA in biochemical sciences, Harvard
- 1998: PhD in neuroscience, Stanford, on how synapses talk to the cell nucleus. MD follows in 2000
- After: Psychiatry residency at Stanford. Still a practicing psychiatrist
- 2003: Hired into Stanford Bioengineering by its founding chair, Scott Delp
- 2004: Opens his lab and starts the optogenetics project with two graduate students
- 2005: Publishes the technique in Nature Neuroscience. Within two years it works in living mice
- 2009: Uses optogenetics to show how deep brain stimulation helps in a Parkinson's disease model
- 2014–19: Foreign adjunct professor at the Karolinska Institute, Sweden
Sources: [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Deisseroth) [2](https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2026/10/karl-deisseroth-nobel-prize-physiology-medicine) [3](https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2026/10/deisseroth-nobel-prize.html) [4](https://www.hhmi.org/news/karl-deisseroth-2026-nobel-prize-physiology-medicine)

**Mentors and collaborators:**
- Doctoral advisor: Richard Tsien
- Also trained with: Robert Malenka
- Students: Feng Zhang, Viviana Gradinaru, Edward Boyden, Kay Tye, Ilana Witten, Priya Rajasethupathy
- Spouse: Michelle Monje, pediatric neuro-oncologist at Stanford Medicine
Sources: [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Deisseroth) [2](https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2026/10/karl-deisseroth-nobel-prize-physiology-medicine)

**Lesser-known facts:**
- Both parents trained as scientists: his father in oncology, his mother in chemistry.
- Told The New York Times in 2014 that his first love was writing.
- Planned on neurosurgery until meeting patients on his psychiatry rotation at Stanford.
- Lost the ability to form words for about 30 seconds when he heard the news.
- The 36th HHMI scientist to receive a Nobel Prize.
Sources: [1](https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2026/10/karl-deisseroth-nobel-prize-physiology-medicine) [2](https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2026/10/deisseroth-nobel-prize.html) [3](https://www.hhmi.org/news/karl-deisseroth-2026-nobel-prize-physiology-medicine)

### Peter Hegemann

Physiology or Medicine · German · born Münster, Germany, 1954 · age 71 at the announcement · Humboldt University of Berlin

Full profile: https://www.autumn.ai/resources/nobel/hegemann

**Key work:** “Channelrhodopsin-2, a directly light-gated cation-selective membrane channel,” PNAS, 2003 (23 years before the prize). [1](https://www.nobelprize.org/uploads/2026/10/advanced-medicineprize2026.pdf)

**The call (Minutes before 11:00):** Ignored an email from a stranger asking him to call back. Then he recognized the country code from his sailing trips: Sweden. It was the committee chair. [1](https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2026/hegemann/interview/)

**Career:**
- 1975: Starts chemistry at Münster, then moves to LMU Munich for biochemistry
- 1984: PhD at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, in Dieter Oesterhelt's group
- 1985: Postdoc at Syracuse University in Kenneth Foster's lab
- 1986–93: Leads a research group at the Max Planck Institute in Martinsried
- 1993: Professor of biochemistry, University of Regensburg
- 2003: With Nagel and Bamberg, publishes channelrhodopsin-2 as a light-gated channel (PNAS)
- 2004: Moves to Humboldt University of Berlin to head Experimental Biophysics
- 2015: Hertie Senior Research Chair for Neurosciences
Sources: [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Hegemann) [2](https://www.mpg.de/27014852/congratulations-to-peter-hegemann-and-georg-nagel-on-their-nobel-prize-in-physiology-or-medicine) [3](https://braincity.berlin/en/stories/story/medizin-nobelpreis-fuer-peter-hegemann-wie-ein-algenprotein-die-hirnforschung-veraendert-hat)

**Mentors and collaborators:**
- Doctoral advisor: Dieter Oesterhelt
- Postdoc mentor: Kenneth W. Foster
- Key collaborator: Georg Nagel, co-discoverer of channelrhodopsin
Sources: [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Hegemann) [2](https://www.statnews.com/2026/10/05/nobel-prize-medicine-2026-winner-deisseroth-hegemann-nagel/)

**Lesser-known facts:**
- Born in Münster but grew up in Aachen.
- Comes from a family of doctors: his parents, his brother and both grandfathers.
- Disliked his classics-focused secondary school. As a boy he wanted to explore new territory, then outer space.
- Spent decades on how algae sense light, long before anyone saw a link to neuroscience.
Sources: [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Hegemann) [2](https://braincity.berlin/en/stories/story/medizin-nobelpreis-fuer-peter-hegemann-wie-ein-algenprotein-die-hirnforschung-veraendert-hat)

### Georg Nagel

Physiology or Medicine · German · born Weingarten, Germany, 1953 · age 73 at the announcement · University of Würzburg

Full profile: https://www.autumn.ai/resources/nobel/nagel

**Key work:** “Channelrhodopsin-2, a directly light-gated cation-selective membrane channel,” PNAS, 2003 (first author) (23 years before the prize). [1](https://www.nobelprize.org/uploads/2026/10/advanced-medicineprize2026.pdf)

**The call (A terrace in Italy):** On a sunny terrace above olive trees, between Naples and Rome: “I thought it's still too early to get this prize.” [1](https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2026/nagel/interview/) [2](https://idw-online.de/en/news878555)

**Career:**
- Konstanz: Studies biology and biophysics, working with Ernst Bamberg on ion channels
- Detour: Briefly teaches at a Swiss grammar school
- 1988: PhD, Goethe University Frankfurt, with Bamberg at the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics
- Postdoc: Five years in the US, at Yale and then Rockefeller University
- Early 1990s: Returns to the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics in Frankfurt to lead a group
- 1995: With Bamberg, shows bacteriorhodopsin still works inside frog egg cells
- 1999: Marie Curie Fellow at the University of Naples
- 2003: Shows channelrhodopsin-2 is a directly light-gated channel (PNAS)
- 2004: Professor of Molecular Plant Physiology, University of Würzburg
Sources: [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georg_Nagel) [2](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Georg-Nagel) [3](https://idw-online.de/en/news878555)

**Mentors and collaborators:**
- Doctoral advisor: Ernst Bamberg
- Key collaborator: Peter Hegemann
- Longtime colleague: Dirk Becker, Würzburg, 20+ years of joint research
Sources: [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georg_Nagel) [2](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Georg-Nagel) [3](https://idw-online.de/en/news878555)

**Lesser-known facts:**
- Bone inflammation kept him off family ski trips as a kid, so he built things from science kits instead.
- Is a co-author on the 2005 Nature Neuroscience paper from Deisseroth's lab. The three laureates' work met in one paper.
- The University of Würzburg's 15th Nobel laureate.
Sources: [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georg_Nagel) [2](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Georg-Nagel) [3](https://idw-online.de/en/news878555)

**Earlier honors:** Wiley Prize and Karl Heinz Beckurts Prize (2010), Louis Jeantet Prize and Brain Prize (2013), Rumford Prize (2019), Shaw Prize (2020), Würzburg Röntgen Medal (2024). [1](https://idw-online.de/en/news878555)

## Physics

Citation: “for decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin” (https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2026/summary/)

### Francis Halzen

Physics · Belgian · born Tienen, Belgium, 1944 · age 82 at the announcement · University of Wisconsin–Madison

Full profile: https://www.autumn.ai/resources/nobel/halzen

**Key work:** “Evidence for high-energy extraterrestrial neutrinos at the IceCube detector,” Science, 2013 (13 years before the prize). [1](https://www.nobelprize.org/uploads/2026/10/advanced-physicsprize2026.pdf)

**The call (A hotel in Bergamo):** Was in his hotel room in Bergamo, Italy, writing a proposal, when the physics committee called. [1](https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2026/halzen/interview/)

**Career:**
- 1969: PhD, Catholic University of Leuven. Thesis written in Dutch, on broken symmetries of hadrons
- 1969–71: Scientific associate at CERN
- 1972: Assistant professor, UW–Madison. Full professor by 1977
- 1987: Starts work on AMANDA, the precursor to IceCube
- 1988: With a colleague, proposes using deep Antarctic ice as a neutrino detector
- 2001: Principal investigator of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory
- 2013: IceCube reports the first evidence of high-energy neutrinos from beyond the solar system
- 2026: IceCube upgraded with new sensors deep in the ice, in January
Sources: [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Halzen) [2](https://nbi.ku.dk/english/news/happening-at-nbi/2026/nobel-prize-in-physics-goes-to-icecube-pioneer-francis-halzen/) [3](https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2026/10/06/uw-madison-scientist-wins-2026-nobel-prize-physics)

**Mentors and collaborators:**
- Textbook co-author: Alan Martin, Quarks and Leptons (1984)
- Former mentee: Markus Ahlers, now at the Niels Bohr Institute
Sources: [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Halzen) [2](https://nbi.ku.dk/english/news/happening-at-nbi/2026/nobel-prize-in-physics-goes-to-icecube-pioneer-francis-halzen/)

**Lesser-known facts:**
- Won the physics prize alone this year.
- First heard of Russian scientists trying to detect neutrinos in Antarctica with radio antennas.
- Goes to the South Pole mostly from November to February, the less cold months.
- Calls himself a theoretician working where particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology meet.
Sources: [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Halzen) [2](https://nbi.ku.dk/english/news/happening-at-nbi/2026/nobel-prize-in-physics-goes-to-icecube-pioneer-francis-halzen/) [3](https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2026/10/06/uw-madison-scientist-wins-2026-nobel-prize-physics)

## Chemistry

Citation: “for the discovery of non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis” (https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/2026/summary/)

### Henri B. Kagan

Chemistry · French · born Boulogne-Billancourt, France, 1930 · age 95 at the announcement · Université Paris-Sud, Orsay

Full profile: https://www.autumn.ai/resources/nobel/kagan

**Key work:** “Nonlinear effects in asymmetric synthesis,” Journal of the American Chemical Society, 1986 (40 years before the prize). [1](https://www.nobelprize.org/uploads/2026/10/advanced-chemistryprize2026.pdf)

**The call (Out of reach):** Reporters couldn't reach him. His daughter spoke instead: the creativity of his work “opened up new avenues for research.” [1](https://www.reuters.com/world/kagan-soai-win-2026-nobel-chemistry-prize-2026-10-07/)

**Career:**
- 1954: Graduates from the École nationale supérieure de chimie de Paris, after the Sorbonne
- 1960: PhD under Jean Jacques at the Collège de France, on steroid chemistry and stereochemistry
- Then: Research associate with Alain Horeau
- 1968: Sets up his lab at Orsay. Stays at Paris-Sud for nearly four decades
- 1986: Finds a way to get more of one mirror-image molecule than anyone thought possible
- 1999: Becomes emeritus professor
- 2001: Wolf Prize in Chemistry, with Ryōji Noyori and K. Barry Sharpless
Sources: [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_B._Kagan) [2](https://fi.edu/en/awards/laureates/henri-b-kagan) [3](https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/world/henri-b-kagan-and-kenso-soai-win-nobel-prize-in-chemistry-2026-for-spontaneous-homochirality-solution/)

**Mentors and collaborators:**
- Doctoral advisor: Jean Jacques
- Early mentor: Alain Horeau
- Co-laureate: Kenso Soai, who took the next step after Kagan's 1986 discovery
Sources: [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_B._Kagan) [2](https://www.npr.org/2026/10/07/g-s1-146849/nobel-prize-chemistry)

**Lesser-known facts:**
- Born to a Jewish family that survived World War II hiding in a village in southern France under assumed names.
- The oldest laureate of 2026, at 95.
- Still active as a visiting lecturer, author and mentor to young chemists.
- His discoveries have had a far-reaching impact on the pharmaceutical industry.
Sources: [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_B._Kagan) [2](https://fi.edu/en/awards/laureates/henri-b-kagan) [3](https://www.npr.org/2026/10/07/g-s1-146849/nobel-prize-chemistry)

**Earlier honors:** Wolf Prize (2001), Tetrahedron Prize, Prelog Medal, Bower Award (2005), French Academy of Sciences, Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur. [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_B._Kagan) [2](https://fi.edu/en/awards/laureates/henri-b-kagan)

### Kenso Soai

Chemistry · Japanese · born Hiroshima, Japan, 1950 · age 76 at the announcement · Tokyo University of Science

Full profile: https://www.autumn.ai/resources/nobel/soai

**Key work:** “Asymmetric autocatalysis and amplification of enantiomeric excess of a chiral molecule,” Nature, 1995 (31 years before the prize). [1](https://www.nobelprize.org/uploads/2026/10/advanced-chemistryprize2026.pdf)

**The call (At the supermarket):** Was grocery shopping near his home in Shiki, Saitama, when the call came: “One of the most exciting days in my life.” [1](https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/science-nature/science/20261007-352669/) [2](https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2026/10/07/the-2026-nobel-prize-in-chemistry-is-awarded-to-henri-kagan-and-kenso-soai/)

**Career:**
- 1979: PhD, University of Tokyo, under Teruaki Mukaiyama
- 1979–81: Postdoc at UNC Chapel Hill with Ernest Eliel
- 1981: Lecturer at the Tokyo University of Science. Full professor by 1991
- 1995: Designs the first reaction that could make only one mirror image of a molecule: the Soai reaction
- 2001–15: Visiting professor in Paris, Kyushu, Waseda, Strasbourg and Jilin
- 2016: Retires; professor emeritus
- 2025: Japan Academy Prize
Sources: [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenso_Soai) [2](https://college.unc.edu/2026/10/nobel-prize-soai/) [3](https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/10/08/japan/science-health/kenso-soai-research-significance/)

**Mentors and collaborators:**
- Doctoral advisor: Teruaki Mukaiyama
- Postdoc mentor: Ernest L. Eliel, UNC Chapel Hill
- Frequent co-authors: Takanori Shibata, Itaru Sato, Keisuke Suzuki
Sources: [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenso_Soai) [2](https://college.unc.edu/2026/10/nobel-prize-soai/)

**Lesser-known facts:**
- The Nobel announcement called his reaction “one of the most spectacular chemical experiments ever conducted.”
- Said he never expected the prize, “let alone this year.”
- Also said: “I may sound arrogant, but I had thought I would not get complaints if I won.”
Sources: [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenso_Soai) [2](https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/science-nature/science/20261007-352669/) [3](https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2026/10/07/the-2026-nobel-prize-in-chemistry-is-awarded-to-henri-kagan-and-kenso-soai/)

**Earlier honors:** Inoue Prize (2000), Chirality Medal (2005), Purple Ribbon Medal (2012), Order of the Sacred Treasure (2023), Japan Academy Prize (2025). [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenso_Soai)

## Literature

Citation: “for her bold and inventive oeuvre that, in playful dialogue with the classical tradition, has created new forms for contemporary literature” (https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/2026/summary/)

### Anne Carson

Literature · Canadian · born Toronto, Canada, 1950 · age 76 at the announcement · no affiliation listed

Full profile: https://www.autumn.ai/resources/nobel/carson

**Key work:** Eros the Bittersweet, her first book, 1986 (40 years before the prize). [1](https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/2026/bio-bibliography/)

**The call (Home in Reykjavík):** Eating crackers over the London Review of Books, she kept switching off the ringing phone until her husband answered. Her verdict: “I think you're all insane.” [1](https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/2026/carson/interview/) [2](https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2026/10/08/bold-inventive-professor-wins-nobel-prize-literature)

**Career:**
- c. 1965: Finds Willis Barnstone's bilingual Sappho in a Hamilton, Ontario mall
- 1966: In Port Hope, her Latin teacher Alice Cowan teaches her Greek over lunch
- College: Leaves St. Michael's College twice, put off by a required Milton course. Works in graphic arts
- 1981: PhD in classics, University of Toronto. Thesis title: Odi et Amo Ergo Sum
- 1979–87: Teaches at Calgary, then Princeton, where she is denied tenure
- 1986: Publishes Eros the Bittersweet, her first book
- 1987: A year teaching classics at Emory
- McGill: Director of Graduate Studies in Classics. John MacNaughton Professor from 2000
- 2003–09: University of Michigan, across classics, comparative literature and English
- Later: 13 years as Distinguished Writer in Residence at NYU
Sources: [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Carson) [2](https://record.umich.edu/articles/former-u-m-professor-anne-carson-awarded-nobel-prize-in-literature/) [3](https://brickmag.com/an-interview-with-anne-carson/) [4](https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2026/10/09/anne-carson-former-university-of-michigan-professor-wins-nobel-prize-in-literature/92173893007/)

**Mentors and collaborators:**
- First teacher: Alice Cowan, the Latin teacher Carson says she owes her career to
- First spark: Willis Barnstone, translator of the Sappho she found
- Partner and collaborator: Robert Currie; together they taught the “Egocircus” workshop at NYU
Sources: [1](https://brickmag.com/an-interview-with-anne-carson/) [2](https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2026/10/09/anne-carson-former-university-of-michigan-professor-wins-nobel-prize-in-literature/92173893007/)

**Lesser-known facts:**
- As a teenager she fancied herself a reborn Oscar Wilde, and owned an Oscar Wilde costume for special occasions.
- Nox, one of her books, is an elegy for her brother, who died in 2000.
- First woman to win the T. S. Eliot Prize, in 2001.
- Autobiography of Red has sold nearly 100,000 copies in the US alone.
- Her one rule for starting a book: “Start in the middle.”
Sources: [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Carson) [2](https://brickmag.com/an-interview-with-anne-carson/) [3](https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2026/10/08/bold-inventive-professor-wins-nobel-prize-literature)

**Earlier honors:** Guggenheim Fellowship (1998), MacArthur Fellowship (2000), T. S. Eliot Prize (2001), Griffin Prize, Lannan Fellowship. [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Carson) [2](https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2026/10/09/anne-carson-former-university-of-michigan-professor-wins-nobel-prize-in-literature/92173893007/)

## Peace

Citation: “for her efforts to promote peace and international law” (https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2026/summary/)

### Navi Pillay

Peace · South African · born Durban, South Africa, 1941 · age 85 at the announcement · no affiliation listed

Full profile: https://www.autumn.ai/resources/nobel/pillay

**Key work:** The Rwanda tribunal's Akayesu judgment, 1998: rape and sexual violence can constitute genocide (28 years before the prize). [1](https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2026/press-release/)

**The call (Courtroom 600, Nuremberg):** At a conference in the courtroom of the postwar trials. The committee couldn't reach her, so the Nobel Institute's director told her in person: “I don't believe it until I hear it from you!” [1](https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2026/pillay/interview/) [2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/10/09/navi-pillay-wins-nobel-peace-prize/)

**Career:**
- 1967: Founds her own law firm in Durban and defends activists against apartheid
- 1988: Doctor of Juridical Science, Harvard
- 1995: Appointed to the High Court of South Africa
- 1990s: Judge, then President, of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
- 1998: Plays a pioneering role in the Akayesu judgment
- 2008–14: UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
- 2019: Ad hoc judge at the International Court of Justice in the Myanmar genocide case
- 2021–25: Chairs the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory
Sources: [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navi_Pillay) [2](https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2026/pillay/facts/) [3](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/09/navanethem-navi-pillay-wins-nobel-peace-prize)

**Mentors and collaborators:**
- Early mentor: N. T. Naicker, criminal defence attorney
- Nominated by: Nelson Mandela and Justice Minister Dullah Omar, for the Rwanda tribunal
- Appointed by: Ban Ki-moon, as UN human rights chief
Sources: [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navi_Pillay) [2](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/09/navanethem-navi-pillay-wins-nobel-peace-prize)

**Lesser-known facts:**
- Grew up in a family of Indian Tamil descent in Durban.
- The Akayesu judgment helped establish that rape and sexual violence can be prosecuted as genocide.
- The committee called her “one of the most respected international jurists of our time.”
Sources: [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navi_Pillay) [2](https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2026/pillay/facts/) [3](https://www.wsj.com/world/nobel-peace-prize-winner-2026-39887f84)

## Economic Sciences

Citation: “for microeconomic foundations of macroeconomic stabilisation” (https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/2026/hall/facts/)

### Robert E. Hall

Economic Sciences · American · born Palo Alto, California, USA, 1943 · age 83 at the announcement · Stanford University; Hoover Institution

Full profile: https://www.autumn.ai/resources/nobel/hall

**Key work:** “Stochastic implications of the life cycle-permanent income hypothesis,” Journal of Political Economy, 1978 (48 years before the prize). [1](https://www.nobelprize.org/uploads/2026/10/advanced-economicsciencesprize2026.pdf)

**The call (Monday morning):** Monday morning statement: “This is a wonderful surprise.” [1](https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2026/10/robert-e-hall-nobel-prize-economic-sciences) [2](https://www.reuters.com/world/hall-woodford-win-2026-nobel-economics-prize-2026-10-12/)

**Career:**
- School: Public schools in Palo Alto and Los Angeles
- BA: Economics, UC Berkeley
- 1967: PhD in economics, MIT, under Robert Solow. Thesis: Essays on the Theory of Wealth
- 1978: Publishes the consumption paper at the heart of the prize, in the Journal of Political Economy
- Early career: Assistant professor at Berkeley, then professor at MIT
- 1978: Joins Stanford and Hoover. Takes the chair of the NBER dating committee
- 1980: Serves on President-elect Reagan's Task Force on Inflation Policy
- 2010: President of the American Economic Association
Sources: [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Hall_(economist)) [2](https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2026/10/robert-e-hall-nobel-prize-economic-sciences) [3](https://www.aeaweb.org/news/nobel-prize-economic-sciences-oct-12-2026)

**Mentors and collaborators:**
- Doctoral advisor: Robert Solow
- Students: Pete Klenow, Valerie Ramey
- Wife and co-author: Susan Woodward, economist
Sources: [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Hall_(economist)) [2](https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2026/10/robert-e-hall-nobel-prize-economic-sciences)

**Lesser-known facts:**
- Has advised the US Treasury, the Justice Department and the Federal Reserve Board.
- On his education: “The taxpayers of California gave me an excellent education in the public schools and at Berkeley… I hope they will regard this as a satisfactory return on their investment.”
- Describes himself as an applied economist.
Sources: [1](https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2026/10/robert-e-hall-nobel-prize-economic-sciences) [2](https://www.hoover.org/news/nobel-prize-economic-sciences-won-stanford-economist-and-hoover-institution-senior-fellow)

### Michael Woodford

Economic Sciences · American · born Chicopee, Massachusetts, USA, 1955 · age 70 at the announcement · Columbia University

Full profile: https://www.autumn.ai/resources/nobel/woodford

**Key work:** Interest and Prices: Foundations of a Theory of Monetary Policy, Princeton University Press, 2003 (23 years before the prize). [1](https://www.nobelprize.org/uploads/2026/10/advanced-economicsciencesprize2026.pdf)

**The call (4:30 a.m. wake-up):** Woken by Stockholm at 4:30 a.m., with an exam to give that morning: “They're probably hoping I'll cancel the exam.” [1](https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/2026/woodford/interview/) [2](https://news.columbia.edu/news/toast-michael-woodford-columbia-universitys-newest-nobel-laureate)

**Career:**
- 1977: BA, University of Chicago
- 1980: JD, Yale Law School
- 1983: PhD in economics, MIT, under Timothy Kehoe
- 1984: Columbia hires him, “when it was much less obvious what I would accomplish”
- Then: Teaches at Chicago and Princeton
- 2003: Publishes Interest and Prices, his book on monetary policy
- 2004: Returns to Columbia as John Bates Clark Professor of Political Economy
Sources: [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Woodford_(economist)) [2](https://news.columbia.edu/news/toast-michael-woodford-columbia-universitys-newest-nobel-laureate)

**Mentors and collaborators:**
- Doctoral advisor: Timothy Kehoe
- Early collaborator: Julio Rotemberg, on one of the first microfounded New Keynesian models
- Co-laureate: Robert E. Hall, whose 1978 consumption insight fed into Woodford's models
Sources: [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Woodford_(economist)) [2](https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/2026/woodford/interview/) [3](https://www.reuters.com/world/hall-woodford-win-2026-nobel-economics-prize-2026-10-12/)

**Lesser-known facts:**
- Calls his framework “neo-Wicksellian,” after the Swedish economist Knut Wicksell.
- Early research covered sunspot equilibria and imperfect competition.
- Credits his students: he works ideas out by explaining them to people willing to put up with it.
Sources: [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Woodford_(economist)) [2](https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/2026/woodford/interview/) [3](https://news.columbia.edu/news/toast-michael-woodford-columbia-universitys-newest-nobel-laureate)