Dubochet, 75, was speaking in an interview with Swiss public television RTS on Wednesday, following the publication of his book “Parcours” (My Path) on his life and his science.
“I used to write little things all the time on a blog that no one would see,” he told RTS. “When the Nobel Prize came, it gave me a voice. I was caught up in the media whirlwind and I wanted to clarify what I was talking about.”
But Dubochet, 75, also says his recent fame has not always been easy to handle. “It’s not easy to live with,” he told RTS. “You feel overwhelmed. I thought I had a harmonious life, but then all of a sudden people offer you amazing opportunities and you have to make choices.”
His celebrity has allowed him to meet a lot of young people, which is something he particularly appreciates. “The best part is meeting with young people and dyslexics,” says Dubochet who used to be dyslexic himself. “Two things that have enriched my life a lot are the contact with young people and with the media.
Dubochet stressed his conviction that science should be for the common good. “It should not be put at everyone’s disposal to make money or enhance their personal interests,” he told RTS.
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Swiss Nobel winner reacts with ‘great gratitude’
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A happy and humble Jacques Dubochet reflected on his achievements in Lausanne, hours after learning he had won the 2017 Nobel Prize for Chemistry.
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Swiss Nobel winner reacts with ‘great gratitude’
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A happy and humble Jacques Dubochet reflected on his achievements in Lausanne, hours after learning he had won the 2017 Nobel Prize for Chemistry.
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Jacques Dubochet of Lausanne University has been awarded the 2017 Nobel prize in chemistry together with two other scientists from Britain and the US.
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The two scientists had been favourites to share the prize – worth eight million Swedish krona (CHF1.13 million) – after their theoretical work was finally vindicated last year by experiments at the CERN research centre’s gigantic particle collider outside Geneva. Englert, 80, and his colleague Robert Brout, who died in 2011, were first to publish,…
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.