Governor Parson Applauds Mizzou Professor for Winning Nobel Prize

OCTOBER 4, 2018

Jefferson City — On Wednesday, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced that Dr. George Smith of the University of Missouri was one of three researchers to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Through Dr. Smith’s breakthrough of evolving new proteins under his development of phage display, this new discovery has the potential to help fight off severe or threatening diseases.

Governor Parson spoke with Dr. Smith yesterday afternoon by phone to congratulate him on the award. 

“Dr. Smith’s leading innovation and worthy accomplishment will be a boost for our higher education institutions, equipping them to train our workforce,” said Governor Parson. “We are incredibly proud of Dr. Smith and his devotion to science, as well as his efforts towards helping humanity. His efforts have led Missouri to be at the forefront of a scientific breakthrough that will help transform our society. This is a great time for the University of Missouri, and even better for all Missourians.”

Retiring in 2015, Dr. Smith is Mizzou’s Curators’ Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Biological Sciences. He first started at the University in 1975.