Why Nobel Prize winner David Baker remains committed to Seattle

University of Washington biochemist and Nobel Prize winner David Baker said he remains committed to staying in Seattle so he can focus on the work he believes is still ahead of him.

Baker said the Nobel Prize brought a flood of invitations that could have pulled him into constant travel, but he made “a rule that I wasn’t going to leave Seattle,” allowing him to stay close to his lab and maintain his research focus. He also reflected on the disruption caused by uncertainty around federal funding, saying universities pulled back graduate admissions and faculty searches even though the most severe cuts did not materialize. Looking at Seattle’s startup landscape, he said investors once pushed for Boston, but now “people just know it’s going to be in Seattle.”

Baker’s decision to stay rooted in Seattle reinforces the region’s position as a top life sciences hub where world-class research, company formation, and long-term scientific ambition can advance together.

READ THE STORY at Puget Sound Business Journal »