Max Perutz was an Austrian-born British biochemist known for his pioneering work in the field of molecular biology. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1962 for his research on the structure of hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. Perutz's work helped to advance the understanding of protein structures and their functions. In addition to his scientific achievements, Perutz was a co-founder of the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, which became a leading center for biological research. His contributions significantly influenced the study of X-ray crystallography, a technique used to determine the atomic structure of crystals.