Thomas C. Südhof: A German-American Nobel Prize winner adopted by Jaén

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The scientist has been awarded the Gold Medal of the UNIA university in Baeza and an honorary doctorate from the University of Jáen

Alekk M. Saanders

Jaén

Friday, 19 December 2025, 11:55

German-American biochemist Thomas C. Südhof won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his work in the field of vesicle trafficking in 2013.

Südhof was born in Göttingen, Germany, on 22 December 1955. He studied medicine at RWTH Aachen University, Harvard University and then at the University of Göttingen. He is currently a professor at Stanford University.

However Jaén province in Andalucía considers the Nobel Prize laureate to be one of its own. By the time he was awarded the Nobel prize he had already been working with Andalucía for about eight years.

In fact for two decades now the scientist has regularly participated in international conferences held at the universities in Jaén province.

Biomedicine seminars with the participation of Thomas C. Südhof at the UNIA, the International University of Andalucía whose headquarters are located in Baeza, have been considered a source of particular pride for the young (set up in 1994) Andalusian university. Thanks to them, the small town of Baeza has gained prominence in the global scientific community, for which the town council honoured the scientist in 2017. It was while he was in Baeza in October 2013 that Südhof received the news that he had been awarded the Nobel Prize.

This November Südhof, who turns 70 next week, visited Baeza to receive the Gold Medal of the UNIA. At the ceremony Rector José Ignacio García made special mention of Südhof's connection to Baeza and the UNIA by saying "Un Nobel muy nuestro" (A Nobel winner very much our own).

Südhof said that Baeza "is a point of convergence" between his past scientific and personal paths and what lies ahead.

Also in November this year, Südhof was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Jaén (UJA) in recognition of the "exemplary" professional and scientific career of this "exceptional scientist".