Maurice Hugh Frederick Wilkins is best known for his work regarding the discovery of the structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Along with American molecular biologist James D. Watson (1924- ) and English molecular biologist Francis Crick (1916- ), Wilkins received the 1962 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for his contributions to the discovery of the molecular mechanisms underlying the transmission of genetic information. Specifically, Wilkins' contribution involved discerning the structure of DNA through the use of x-ray diffraction techniques.

Wilkins was born in Pongaroa, New Zealand to Irish immigrants Edgar Henry, a physician, and Eveline Constance Jane (Whittaker) Wilkins. Euperior education began at an early age for Wilkins, who began attending King Edward's School in Birmingham, England, at age six. He later received his B.A. in physics from Cambridge University in 1938. After graduation, he joined the Ministry of Home Security and Aircraft Production and was assigned to conduct graduate...