BIOLOGIST
Susumu Tonegawa
1939 - Today

Susumu Tonegawa
Susumu Tonegawa (利根川 進, Tonegawa Susumu; born September 5, 1939) is a Japanese scientist who was the sole recipient of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1987 for his discovery of V(D)J recombination, the genetic mechanism which produces antibody diversity. Although he won the Nobel Prize for his work in immunology, Tonegawa is a molecular biologist by training and he again changed fields following his Nobel Prize win; he now studies neuroscience, examining the molecular, cellular and neuronal basis of memory formation and retrieval. Read more on Wikipedia
His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Susumu Tonegawa is the 158th most popular biologist (up from 163rd in 2019), the 200th most popular biography from Japan (up from 276th in 2019) and the 2nd most popular Japanese Biologist. Learn more about Susumu Tonegawa's academic impact at Rankless.
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Among BIOLOGISTS
Among biologists, Susumu Tonegawa ranks 158 out of 1,097. Before him are Joshua Lederberg, Bernard Katz, Thomas Huckle Weller, Bernard Germain de Lacépède, Martin Chalfie, and Jakob von Uexküll. After him are Nettie Stevens, Georg Wilhelm Steller, Salvador Luria, George Davis Snell, Renato Dulbecco, and Mario Capecchi.
Most Popular Biologists in Wikipedia
Go to all RankingsJoshua Lederberg
1925 - 2008
HPI: 68.62
Rank: 152
Bernard Katz
1911 - 2003
HPI: 68.57
Rank: 153
Thomas Huckle Weller
1915 - 2008
HPI: 68.45
Rank: 154
Bernard Germain de Lacépède
1756 - 1825
HPI: 68.40
Rank: 155
Martin Chalfie
1947 - Present
HPI: 68.37
Rank: 156
Jakob von Uexküll
1864 - 1944
HPI: 68.37
Rank: 157
Susumu Tonegawa
1939 - Present
HPI: 68.32
Rank: 158
Nettie Stevens
1861 - 1912
HPI: 68.31
Rank: 159
Georg Wilhelm Steller
1709 - 1746
HPI: 68.25
Rank: 160
Salvador Luria
1912 - 1991
HPI: 68.24
Rank: 161
George Davis Snell
1903 - 1996
HPI: 68.22
Rank: 162
Renato Dulbecco
1914 - 2012
HPI: 68.22
Rank: 163
Mario Capecchi
1937 - Present
HPI: 68.21
Rank: 164
Contemporaries
Among people born in 1939, Susumu Tonegawa ranks 53. Before him are Michael Cimino, Sonny Chiba, Ray Manzarek, Volker Schlöndorff, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, and Stanisław Dziwisz. After him are Leland H. Hartwell, Alfredo Palacio, Carlo Ginzburg, Beate Klarsfeld, Henry Mintzberg, and Ion Țiriac.
Others Born in 1939
Go to all RankingsMichael Cimino
FILM DIRECTOR
1939 - 2016
HPI: 69.36
Rank: 47
Sonny Chiba
ACTOR
1939 - 2021
HPI: 69.25
Rank: 48
Ray Manzarek
MUSICIAN
1939 - 2013
HPI: 69.24
Rank: 49
Volker Schlöndorff
FILM DIRECTOR
1939 - Present
HPI: 68.98
Rank: 50
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
POLITICIAN
1939 - 2025
HPI: 68.76
Rank: 51
Stanisław Dziwisz
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1939 - Present
HPI: 68.60
Rank: 52
Susumu Tonegawa
BIOLOGIST
1939 - Present
HPI: 68.32
Rank: 53
Leland H. Hartwell
BIOLOGIST
1939 - Present
HPI: 68.02
Rank: 54
Alfredo Palacio
POLITICIAN
1939 - 2025
HPI: 67.99
Rank: 55
Carlo Ginzburg
HISTORIAN
1939 - Present
HPI: 67.98
Rank: 56
Beate Klarsfeld
JOURNALIST
1939 - Present
HPI: 67.98
Rank: 57
Henry Mintzberg
ECONOMIST
1939 - Present
HPI: 67.97
Rank: 58
Ion Țiriac
TENNIS PLAYER
1939 - Present
HPI: 67.90
Rank: 59
In Japan
Among people born in Japan, Susumu Tonegawa ranks 200 out of 6,245. Before him are Yasuhiro Nakasone (1918), Hirokazu Ninomiya (1917), Takeshi Inoue (1928), Kunitaka Sueoka (1917), Junji Kawano (1945), and Takeo Wakabayashi (1907). After him are Kitarō (1953), Shozo Tsugitani (1940), Emperor Richū (336), Shiro Azumi (null), Emperor Kaika (-208), and Kazuyoshi Miura (1967).
Others born in Japan
Go to all RankingsYasuhiro Nakasone
POLITICIAN
1918 - 2019
HPI: 68.43
Rank: 194
Hirokazu Ninomiya
SOCCER PLAYER
1917 - 2000
HPI: 68.42
Rank: 195
Takeshi Inoue
SOCCER PLAYER
1928 - 1992
HPI: 68.39
Rank: 196
Kunitaka Sueoka
SOCCER PLAYER
1917 - 1998
HPI: 68.38
Rank: 197
Junji Kawano
SOCCER PLAYER
1945 - Present
HPI: 68.36
Rank: 198
Takeo Wakabayashi
SOCCER PLAYER
1907 - 1937
HPI: 68.35
Rank: 199
Susumu Tonegawa
BIOLOGIST
1939 - Present
HPI: 68.32
Rank: 200
Kitarō
MUSICIAN
1953 - Present
HPI: 68.31
Rank: 201
Shozo Tsugitani
SOCCER PLAYER
1940 - 1978
HPI: 68.29
Rank: 202
Emperor Richū
POLITICIAN
336 - 405
HPI: 68.29
Rank: 203
Shiro Azumi
SOCCER PLAYER
HPI: 68.29
Rank: 204
Emperor Kaika
POLITICIAN
208 BC - 97 BC
HPI: 68.26
Rank: 205
Kazuyoshi Miura
SOCCER PLAYER
1967 - Present
HPI: 68.26
Rank: 206
Among BIOLOGISTS In Japan
Among biologists born in Japan, Susumu Tonegawa ranks 2. Before him are Yoshinori Ohsumi (1945). After him are Hideyo Noguchi (1876), Takenoshin Nakai (1882), Motoo Kimura (1924), Akira Endo (1933), Katsuko Saruhashi (1920), Tsuneko Okazaki (1933), Bunzō Hayata (1874), Tomitaro Makino (1862), Akira Miyawaki (1928), and Tokiharu Abe (1911).
Yoshinori Ohsumi
1945 - Present
HPI: 76.17
Rank: 1
Susumu Tonegawa
1939 - Present
HPI: 68.32
Rank: 2
Hideyo Noguchi
1876 - 1928
HPI: 64.20
Rank: 3
Takenoshin Nakai
1882 - 1952
HPI: 63.75
Rank: 4
Motoo Kimura
1924 - 1994
HPI: 63.56
Rank: 5
Akira Endo
1933 - 2024
HPI: 60.66
Rank: 6
Katsuko Saruhashi
1920 - 2007
HPI: 59.62
Rank: 7
Tsuneko Okazaki
1933 - Present
HPI: 58.96
Rank: 8
Bunzō Hayata
1874 - 1934
HPI: 57.38
Rank: 9
Tomitaro Makino
1862 - 1957
HPI: 57.08
Rank: 10
Akira Miyawaki
1928 - 2021
HPI: 56.39
Rank: 11
Tokiharu Abe
1911 - 1996
HPI: 55.48
Rank: 12