Bertozzi won the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for click and bioorthogonal chemistry, becoming the first openly gay woman to win a science Nobel.
On October 5, 2022, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced that Carolyn Bertozzi would share the Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Morten P. Meldal and K. Barry Sharpless "for the development of click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry." This announcement marked the pinnacle of a career spent developing chemical reactions capable of occurring safely within living systems, revolutionizing the study of biomolecules in real time.
Bertozzi's specific contributions centered on adapting click chemistry principles to work inside living cells and organisms without interfering with native biological processes—a concept she pioneered and named "bioorthogonal chemistry" beginning around 2001. Her techniques enabled scientists worldwide to visualize and manipulate glycans and other biomolecules in living systems, with applications spanning cancer research, drug development, and diagnostic imaging.
Beyond her scientific achievement, Bertozzi's recognition carried profound social significance: she became widely recognized, per commentary from institutions such as Rockefeller University, as the first openly gay woman to receive a Nobel Prize in the sciences. This milestone resonated deeply within the LGBTQ+ scientific community, symbolizing greater visibility and representation at the highest levels of scientific achievement.
Her award represented not only individual excellence but also a broader statement about diversity and inclusion in STEM fields, inspiring a new generation of scientists from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue careers in chemistry and related disciplines.