September 3, 2020
The citation reads, "Professor Thirumalai has been a pioneer in advancing our understanding of biomolecular actions, particularly protein and RNA folding, and the basis for how molecular motors convert energy to motion. Professor Thirumalai, one of the top theorists in delineating the principles of protein and RNA folding, is unique in driving and interpreting experiments, and collaborating with experimentalist colleagues. He was the first to quantify the heterogeneity and bumpiness of protein folding landscapes, through the definition of a glass temperature and its ratio with the folding temperature."