Maurice Hugh Frederick Wilkins is best known for the assistance he provided to molecular biologists James D. Watson and Francis Crick in their quest to uncover the structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), the genetic blueprint of heredity in humans and many other organisms. Specifically, Wilkins' contribution to their discovery involved discerning the structure of DNA through the use of X-ray diffraction techniques. For his efforts, Wilkins shared the 1962 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine with Watson and Crick.

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...