Nobel Prize Laureate Data Analysis

Author

Pascal Hermann Kouogang Tafo

INTRODUCTION

The Nobel Prize data set constitutes a uniquely comprehensive register of high-impact scientific and humanistic contribution spanning more than a century. This assignment outlines a data-driven investigation into the Nobel Prize data set using a systematic API-to-Tidyverse workflow.

APPROACH

To resolve this Nobel Prize organization task, we will do as followed:

Data Acquisition: we will use GET requests to pull the laureate and nobel Prize endpoints.
Utilize jsonlite with flatten = TRUE and handle list-columns created by laureates who have won multiple prizes.
We will transform the Data by joining laureate biographical data with prize data to create a master data frame.
We will perform analysis, where we will Execute four targeted queries, including at least one multi-variate join against the master data frame.

Let’s upload the necessary libraries

library(tidyverse)

Warning: package 'tidyverse' was built under R version 4.5.2

Warning: package 'tibble' was built under R version 4.5.2

Warning: package 'tidyr' was built under R version 4.5.2

Warning: package 'readr' was built under R version 4.5.2

Warning: package 'purrr' was built under R version 4.5.2

Warning: package 'dplyr' was built under R version 4.5.2

Warning: package 'stringr' was built under R version 4.5.2

Warning: package 'forcats' was built under R version 4.5.2

Warning: package 'lubridate' was built under R version 4.5.2

── Attaching core tidyverse packages ──────────────────────── tidyverse 2.0.0 ──
✔ dplyr     1.2.0     ✔ readr     2.2.0
✔ forcats   1.0.1     ✔ stringr   1.6.0
✔ ggplot2   4.0.2     ✔ tibble    3.3.1
✔ lubridate 1.9.5     ✔ tidyr     1.3.2
✔ purrr     1.2.1     
── Conflicts ────────────────────────────────────────── tidyverse_conflicts() ──
✖ dplyr::filter() masks stats::filter()
✖ dplyr::lag()    masks stats::lag()
ℹ Use the conflicted package (<http://conflicted.r-lib.org/>) to force all conflicts to become errors

library(jsonlite)


Attaching package: 'jsonlite'

The following object is masked from 'package:purrr':

    flatten

library(httr)

Warning: package 'httr' was built under R version 4.5.2

DATA ACQUISITION

We will start by collecting all Nobel Prize laureates from the Nobel Prize Web Developer Zone using the GET function.

# Collecting all laureates

res <- GET("https://api.nobelprize.org/2.1/laureates?limit=2000")

data <- fromJSON(rawToChar(res$content), flatten = FALSE)

Laureates_raw <- data$laureates

head(Laureates_raw,10)

     id      knownName.en      knownName.se knownName.no givenName.en
1   745 A. Michael Spence A. Michael Spence         <NA>   A. Michael
2   102      Aage N. Bohr      Aage N. Bohr         <NA>      Aage N.
3   779 Aaron Ciechanover Aaron Ciechanover         <NA>        Aaron
4   259        Aaron Klug        Aaron Klug         <NA>        Aaron
5  1004 Abdulrazak Gurnah Abdulrazak Gurnah         <NA>   Abdulrazak
6   114       Abdus Salam       Abdus Salam         <NA>        Abdus
7   982  Abhijit Banerjee  Abhijit Banerjee         <NA>      Abhijit
8   981    Abiy Ahmed Ali    Abiy Ahmed Ali         <NA>         Abiy
9   843     Ada E. Yonath     Ada E. Yonath         <NA>       Ada E.
10  866     Adam G. Riess     Adam G. Riess         <NA>      Adam G.
   givenName.se givenName.no familyName.en familyName.se familyName.no
1    A. Michael         <NA>        Spence        Spence          <NA>
2       Aage N.         <NA>          Bohr          Bohr          <NA>
3         Aaron         <NA>   Ciechanover   Ciechanover          <NA>
4         Aaron         <NA>          Klug          Klug          <NA>
5    Abdulrazak         <NA>        Gurnah        Gurnah          <NA>
6         Abdus         <NA>         Salam         Salam          <NA>
7       Abhijit         <NA>      Banerjee      Banerjee          <NA>
8          Abiy         <NA>     Ahmed Ali     Ahmed Ali          <NA>
9        Ada E.         <NA>        Yonath        Yonath          <NA>
10      Adam G.         <NA>         Riess         Riess          <NA>
         fullName.en       fullName.se fullName.no    fileName gender
1  A. Michael Spence A. Michael Spence        <NA>      spence   male
2    Aage Niels Bohr   Aage Niels Bohr        <NA>        bohr   male
3  Aaron Ciechanover Aaron Ciechanover        <NA> ciechanover   male
4         Aaron Klug        Aaron Klug        <NA>        klug   male
5  Abdulrazak Gurnah Abdulrazak Gurnah        <NA>      gurnah   male
6        Abdus Salam       Abdus Salam        <NA>       salam   male
7   Abhijit Banerjee  Abhijit Banerjee        <NA>    banerjee   male
8     Abiy Ahmed Ali    Abiy Ahmed Ali        <NA>        abiy   male
9      Ada E. Yonath     Ada E. Yonath        <NA>      yonath female
10     Adam G. Riess     Adam G. Riess        <NA>       riess   male
   birth.date birth.year birth.place.city.en birth.place.city.no
1  1943-00-00       1943       Montclair, NJ       Montclair, NJ
2  1922-06-19       1922          Copenhagen           København
3  1947-10-01       1947               Haifa               Haifa
4  1926-08-11       1926              Zelvas              Zelvas
5  1948-00-00       1948                <NA>                <NA>
6  1926-01-29       1926      Jhang Maghiāna      Jhang Maghiāna
7  1961-02-21       1961              Mumbai              Mumbai
8  1976-08-15       1976            Beshasha            Beshasha
9  1939-06-22       1939           Jerusalem           Jerusalem
10 1969-12-16       1969    Washington, D.C.    Washington, D.C.
   birth.place.city.se            birth.place.country.en birth.place.country.no
1        Montclair, NJ                               USA                    USA
2            Köpenhamn                           Denmark                Danmark
3                Haifa British Protectorate of Palestine    British i Palestina
4               Zelvas                         Lithuania                Litauen
5                 <NA>                              <NA>                   <NA>
6       Jhang Maghiāna                             India                  India
7               Mumbai                             India                  India
8             Beshasha                          Ethiopia                Etiopia
9            Jerusalem      British Mandate of Palestine      Palestinamandatet
10    Washington, D.C.                               USA                    USA
              birth.place.country.se birth.place.cityNow.en
1                                USA          Montclair, NJ
2                            Danmark             Copenhagen
3  British Protectorate of Palestine                  Haifa
4                            Litauen                 Zelvas
5                               <NA>                   <NA>
6                             Indien         Jhang Maghiāna
7                             Indien                 Mumbai
8                           Etiopien               Beshasha
9        Brittiska Palestinamandatet              Jerusalem
10                               USA       Washington, D.C.
   birth.place.cityNow.no birth.place.cityNow.se
1           Montclair, NJ          Montclair, NJ
2               København              Köpenhamn
3                   Haifa                  Haifa
4                  Zelvas                 Zelvas
5                    <NA>                   <NA>
6          Jhang Maghiāna         Jhang Maghiāna
7                  Mumbai                 Mumbai
8                Beshasha               Beshasha
9               Jerusalem              Jerusalem
10       Washington, D.C.       Washington, D.C.
                                                                    birth.place.cityNow.sameAs
1  https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q678437, https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montclair,_New_Jersey
2               https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1748, https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copenhagen
3                   https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q41621, https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haifa
4             https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q691679, https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%BDelva
5                                                                                         NULL
6                 https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1026616, https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jhang
7                   https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1156, https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumbai
8              https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2899862, https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beshasha
9                https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1218, https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem
10          https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q61, https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington,_D.C.
   birth.place.cityNow.latitude birth.place.cityNow.longitude
1                     40.825930                    -74.209030
2                     55.678127                     12.572532
3                     32.794421                     34.990340
4                     53.148256                     24.816515
5                          <NA>                          <NA>
6                     31.268056                     72.318056
7                     19.075833                     72.877500
8                      7.795864                     36.477062
9                     31.767983                     35.213809
10                    38.899065                    -77.036523
   birth.place.countryNow.en birth.place.countryNow.no
1                        USA                       USA
2                    Denmark                   Danmark
3                     Israel                    Israel
4                  Lithuania                   Litauen
5                       <NA>                      <NA>
6                   Pakistan                  Pakistan
7                      India                     India
8                   Ethiopia                   Etiopia
9                     Israel                    Israel
10                       USA                       USA
   birth.place.countryNow.se      birth.place.countryNow.sameAs
1                        USA  https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q30
2                    Danmark  https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q35
3                     Israel https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q801
4                    Litauen  https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q37
5                       <NA>                               NULL
6                   Pakistan https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q843
7                     Indien https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q668
8                   Etiopien https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q115
9                     Israel https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q801
10                       USA  https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q30
   birth.place.countryNow.latitude birth.place.countryNow.longitude
1                        39.828175                       -98.579500
2                        56.000000                        10.000000
3                        31.000000                        35.000000
4                        55.200000                        24.000000
5                             <NA>                             <NA>
6                        30.000000                        71.000000
7                        22.800000                        83.000000
8                         9.000000                        40.000000
9                        31.000000                        35.000000
10                       39.828175                       -98.579500
   birth.place.continent.en birth.place.continent.no birth.place.continent.se
1             North America             Nord-Amerika              Nordamerika
2                    Europe                   Europa                   Europa
3                      Asia                     Asia                    Asien
4                    Europe                   Europa                   Europa
5                      <NA>                     <NA>                     <NA>
6                      Asia                     Asia                    Asien
7                      Asia                     Asia                    Asien
8                    Africa                   Afrika                   Afrika
9                      Asia                     Asia                    Asien
10            North America             Nord-Amerika              Nordamerika
                           birth.place.locationString.en
1                                     Montclair, NJ, USA
2                                    Copenhagen, Denmark
3  Haifa, British Protectorate of Palestine (now Israel)
4                                      Zelvas, Lithuania
5                                                   <NA>
6                   Jhang Maghiāna, India (now Pakistan)
7                                          Mumbai, India
8                                     Beshasha, Ethiopia
9   Jerusalem, British Mandate of Palestine (now Israel)
10                                 Washington, D.C., USA
              birth.place.locationString.no
1                        Montclair, NJ, USA
2                        København, Danmark
3    Haifa, British i Palestina (nå Israel)
4                           Zelvas, Litauen
5                                      <NA>
6       Jhang Maghiāna, India (nå Pakistan)
7                             Mumbai, India
8                         Beshasha, Etiopia
9  Jerusalem, Palestinamandatet (nå Israel)
10                    Washington, D.C., USA
                          birth.place.locationString.se    wikipedia.slug
1                                    Montclair, NJ, USA    Michael_Spence
2                                    Köpenhamn, Danmark         Aage_Bohr
3  Haifa, British Protectorate of Palestine (nu Israel) Aaron_Ciechanover
4                                       Zelvas, Litauen        Aaron_Klug
5                                                  <NA> Abdulrazak_Gurnah
6                  Jhang Maghiāna, Indien (nu Pakistan)       Abdus_Salam
7                                        Mumbai, Indien  Abhijit_Banerjee
8                                    Beshasha, Etiopien        Abiy_Ahmed
9    Jerusalem, Brittiska Palestinamandatet (nu Israel)        Ada_Yonath
10                                Washington, D.C., USA        Adam_Riess
                                 wikipedia.english wikidata.id
1     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Spence     Q157245
2          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aage_Bohr     Q103854
3  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Ciechanover     Q233205
4         https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Klug     Q190626
5  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdulrazak_Gurnah     Q317877
6        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdus_Salam      Q28189
7   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abhijit_Banerjee     Q320578
8         https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abiy_Ahmed   Q50365049
9         https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ada_Yonath       Q7426
10        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Riess     Q106454
                              wikidata.url
1    https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q157245
2    https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q103854
3    https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q233205
4    https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q190626
5    https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q317877
6     https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q28189
7    https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q320578
8  https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q50365049
9      https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7426
10   https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q106454
                                                                                   sameAs
1     https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q157245, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Spence
2          https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q103854, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aage_Bohr
3  https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q233205, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Ciechanover
4         https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q190626, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Klug
5  https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q317877, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdulrazak_Gurnah
6         https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q28189, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdus_Salam
7   https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q320578, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abhijit_Banerjee
8       https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q50365049, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abiy_Ahmed
9           https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7426, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ada_Yonath
10        https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q106454, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Riess
                                                                                                                                                                                            links
1    laureate, external, https://api.nobelprize.org/2/laureate/745, https://www.nobelprize.org/laureate/745, GET, GET, application/json, text/html, NA, A. Michael Spence - Facts, laureate facts
2         laureate, external, https://api.nobelprize.org/2/laureate/102, https://www.nobelprize.org/laureate/102, GET, GET, application/json, text/html, NA, Aage N. Bohr - Facts, laureate facts
3    laureate, external, https://api.nobelprize.org/2/laureate/779, https://www.nobelprize.org/laureate/779, GET, GET, application/json, text/html, NA, Aaron Ciechanover - Facts, laureate facts
4           laureate, external, https://api.nobelprize.org/2/laureate/259, https://www.nobelprize.org/laureate/259, GET, GET, application/json, text/html, NA, Aaron Klug - Facts, laureate facts
5  laureate, external, https://api.nobelprize.org/2/laureate/1004, https://www.nobelprize.org/laureate/1004, GET, GET, application/json, text/html, NA, Abdulrazak Gurnah - Facts, laureate facts
6          laureate, external, https://api.nobelprize.org/2/laureate/114, https://www.nobelprize.org/laureate/114, GET, GET, application/json, text/html, NA, Abdus Salam - Facts, laureate facts
7     laureate, external, https://api.nobelprize.org/2/laureate/982, https://www.nobelprize.org/laureate/982, GET, GET, application/json, text/html, NA, Abhijit Banerjee - Facts, laureate facts
8       laureate, external, https://api.nobelprize.org/2/laureate/981, https://www.nobelprize.org/laureate/981, GET, GET, application/json, text/html, NA, Abiy Ahmed Ali - Facts, laureate facts
9        laureate, external, https://api.nobelprize.org/2/laureate/843, https://www.nobelprize.org/laureate/843, GET, GET, application/json, text/html, NA, Ada E. Yonath - Facts, laureate facts
10       laureate, external, https://api.nobelprize.org/2/laureate/866, https://www.nobelprize.org/laureate/866, GET, GET, application/json, text/html, NA, Adam G. Riess - Facts, laureate facts
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              nobelPrizes
1                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          2001, Economic Sciences, Økonomi, Ekonomi, The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, Sveriges Riksbanks pris i økonomisk vitenskap til minne om Alfred Nobel, Sveriges Riksbanks pris i ekonomisk vetenskap till Alfred Nobels minne, 2, 1/3, 2001-10-10, received, for their analyses of markets with asymmetric information, för deras analys av marknader med assymetrisk informations, 10000000, 15547541, Stanford University, Stanford University, Stanford University, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, Stanford, CA, Stanford, CA, USA, USA, USA, Stanford, CA, Stanford, CA, Stanford, CA, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q173813, https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford,_California, 37.424734, -122.163858, USA, USA, USA, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q30, 39.828175, -98.579500, North America, Stanford, CA, USA, Stanford, CA, USA, Stanford, CA, USA, nobelPrize, external, external, https://api.nobelprize.org/2/nobelPrize/eco/2001, https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/2001/spence/facts/, https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/2001/summary/, GET, GET, GET, application/json, text/html, text/html, NA, A. Michael Spence - Facts, The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2001, laureate facts, prize summary
2                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1975, Physics, Fysikk, Fysik, The Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobelprisen i fysikk, Nobelpriset i fysik, 1, 1/3, 1975-10-17, received, for the discovery of the connection between collective motion and particle motion in atomic nuclei and the development of the theory of the structure of the atomic nucleus based on this connection, för upptäckten av sambandet mellan kollektiva rörelser och partikelrörelser i atomkärnor, samt den därpå baserade utvecklingen av teorien för atomkärnans struktur, 630000, 4304697, Niels Bohr Institute, Niels Bohr Institute, Niels Bohr Institute, Niels Bohr Institute, Copenhagen, København, Köpenhamn, Denmark, Danmark, Danmark, Copenhagen, København, Köpenhamn, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1748, https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copenhagen, 55.678127, 12.572532, Denmark, Danmark, Danmark, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q35, 56.000000, 10.000000, Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark, København, Danmark, Köpenhamn, Danmark, nobelPrize, external, external, https://api.nobelprize.org/2/nobelPrize/phy/1975, https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1975/bohr/facts/, https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1975/summary/, GET, GET, GET, application/json, text/html, text/html, NA, Aage N. Bohr - Facts, The Nobel Prize in Physics 1975, laureate facts, prize summary
3                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               2004, Chemistry, Kjemi, Kemi, The Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobelprisen i kjemi, Nobelpriset i kemi, 1, 1/3, 2004-10-06, received, for the discovery of ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation, för upptäckten av ubiquitinmedierad proteinnedbrytning, 10000000, 14874529, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Haifa, Haifa, Israel, Israel, Israel, Haifa, Haifa, Haifa, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q41621, https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haifa, 32.794421, 34.990340, Israel, Israel, Israel, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q801, 31.000000, 35.000000, Asia, Haifa, Israel, Haifa, Israel, Haifa, Israel, nobelPrize, external, external, https://api.nobelprize.org/2/nobelPrize/che/2004, https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/2004/ciechanover/facts/, https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/2004/summary/, GET, GET, GET, application/json, text/html, text/html, NA, Aaron Ciechanover - Facts, The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2004, laureate facts, prize summary
4                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           1982, Chemistry, Kjemi, Kemi, The Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobelprisen i kjemi, Nobelpriset i kemi, 1, 1, 1982-10-18, received, for his development of crystallographic electron microscopy and his structural elucidation of biologically important nucleic acid-protein complexes, för hans utveckling av kristallografisk elektronmikroskopi och hans klarläggande av strukturen hos biologiskt viktiga nukleinsyra-proteinkomplex, 1150000, 3923237, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom, Storbritannia, Storbritannien, Cambridge, Cambridge, Cambridge, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q350, https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambridge, 52.194605, 0.135092, United Kingdom, Storbritannia, Storbritannien, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q145, 54.600000, -2.000000, Europe, Cambridge, United Kingdom, Cambridge, Storbritannia, Cambridge, Storbritannien, nobelPrize, external, external, https://api.nobelprize.org/2/nobelPrize/che/1982, https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/1982/klug/facts/, https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/1982/summary/, GET, GET, GET, application/json, text/html, text/html, NA, Aaron Klug - Facts, The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1982, laureate facts, prize summary
5                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         2021, Literature, Litteratur, Litteratur, The Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobelprisen i litteratur, Nobelpriset i litteratur, 1, 1, 2021-10-07, received, for his uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee in the gulf between cultures and continents, 10000000, 12096939, nobelPrize, external, external, https://api.nobelprize.org/2/nobelPrize/lit/2021, https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/2021/gurnah/facts/, https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/2021/summary/, GET, GET, GET, application/json, text/html, text/html, NA, Abdulrazak Gurnah - Facts, The Nobel Prize in Literature 2021, laureate facts, prize summary
6  1979, Physics, Fysikk, Fysik, The Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobelprisen i fysikk, Nobelpriset i fysik, 2, 1/3, 1979-10-15, received, for their contributions to the theory of the unified weak and electromagnetic interaction between elementary particles, including, inter alia, the prediction of the weak neutral current, för deras insatser inom teorin för förenad svag och elektromagnetisk växelverkan mellan elementar partiklar, innefattande bl.a. förutsägelsen av den svaga neutrala strömmen, 800000, 3778486, International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Imperial College, International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Imperial College, International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Imperial College, International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Imperial College, Trieste, London, Trieste, London, Trieste, London, Italy, United Kingdom, Italia, Storbritannia, Italien, Storbritannien, Trieste, London, Trieste, London, Trieste, London, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q546, https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trieste, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q84, https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/London, 45.649433, 51.510235, 13.776623, -0.120852, Italy, United Kingdom, Italia, Storbritannia, Italien, Storbritannien, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q38, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q145, 42.500000, 54.600000, 12.500000, -2.000000, Europe, Europe, Trieste, Italy, London, United Kingdom, Trieste, Italia, London, Storbritannia, Trieste, Italien, London, Storbritannien, nobelPrize, external, external, https://api.nobelprize.org/2/nobelPrize/phy/1979, https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1979/salam/facts/, https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1979/summary/, GET, GET, GET, application/json, text/html, text/html, NA, Abdus Salam - Facts, The Nobel Prize in Physics 1979, laureate facts, prize summary
7                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      2019, Economic Sciences, Økonomi, Ekonomi, The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, Sveriges Riksbanks pris i økonomisk vitenskap til minne om Alfred Nobel, Sveriges Riksbanks pris i ekonomisk vetenskap till Alfred Nobels minne, 1, 1/3, 2019-10-14, received, for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty, för deras experimentella ansats för att mildra global fattigdom, 9000000, 11178104, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, Cambridge, MA, Cambridge, MA, USA, USA, USA, Cambridge, MA, Cambridge, MA, Cambridge, MA, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q49111, https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambridge,_Massachusetts, 42.374024, -71.107306, USA, USA, USA, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q30, 39.828175, -98.579500, North America, Cambridge, MA, USA, Cambridge, MA, USA, Cambridge, MA, USA, nobelPrize, external, external, https://api.nobelprize.org/2/nobelPrize/eco/2019, https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/2019/banerjee/facts/, https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/2019/summary/, GET, GET, GET, application/json, text/html, text/html, NA, Abhijit Banerjee - Facts, The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2019, laureate facts, prize summary
8                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         2019, Peace, Fred, Fred, The Nobel Peace Prize, Nobels fredspris, Nobels fredspris, 1, 1, 2019-10-11, received, for his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation, and in particular for his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighbouring Eritrea, for hans innsats for fred og mellomstatlig samarbeid, og da særlig for hans avgjørande initiativ for å løsa grensekonflikten med nabolandet Eritrea, 9000000, 11178104, nobelPrize, external, external, https://api.nobelprize.org/2/nobelPrize/pea/2019, https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2019/abiy/facts/, https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2019/summary/, GET, GET, GET, application/json, text/html, text/html, NA, Abiy Ahmed Ali - Facts, The Nobel Peace Prize 2019, laureate facts, prize summary
9                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            2009, Chemistry, Kjemi, Kemi, The Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobelprisen i kjemi, Nobelpriset i kemi, 3, 1/3, 2009-10-07, received, for studies of the structure and function of the ribosome, för studier av ribosomens struktur och funktion, 10000000, 13857393, Weizmann Institute of Science, Weizmann Institute of Science, Weizmann Institute of Science, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Rehovot, Rehovot, Israel, Israel, Israel, Rehovot, Rehovot, Rehovot, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q207350, https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rehovot, 31.892773, 34.811272, Israel, Israel, Israel, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q801, 31.000000, 35.000000, Asia, Rehovot, Israel, Rehovot, Israel, Rehovot, Israel, nobelPrize, external, external, https://api.nobelprize.org/2/nobelPrize/che/2009, https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/2009/yonath/facts/, https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/2009/summary/, GET, GET, GET, application/json, text/html, text/html, NA, Ada E. Yonath - Facts, The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2009, laureate facts, prize summary
10                                                                                                                                                 2011, Physics, Fysikk, Fysik, The Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobelprisen i fysikk, Nobelpriset i fysik, 3, 1/4, 2011-10-04, received, for the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the Universe through observations of distant supernovae, för upptäckten av universums accelererande expansion genom observationer av avlägsna supernovor, 10000000, 13335208, Johns Hopkins University, Space Telescope Science Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Space Telescope Science Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Space Telescope Science Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD, Baltimore, MD, Baltimore, MD, Baltimore, MD, Baltimore, MD, Baltimore, MD, USA, USA, USA, USA, USA, USA, Baltimore, MD, Baltimore, MD, Baltimore, MD, Baltimore, MD, Baltimore, MD, Baltimore, MD, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5092, https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltimore, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5092, https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltimore, 39.291586, 39.291586, -76.625305, -76.625305, USA, USA, USA, USA, USA, USA, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q30, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q30, 39.828175, 39.828175, -98.579500, -98.579500, North America, North America, Baltimore, MD, USA, Baltimore, MD, USA, Baltimore, MD, USA, Baltimore, MD, USA, Baltimore, MD, USA, Baltimore, MD, USA, nobelPrize, external, external, https://api.nobelprize.org/2/nobelPrize/phy/2011, https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2011/riess/facts/, https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2011/summary/, GET, GET, GET, application/json, text/html, text/html, NA, Adam G. Riess - Facts, The Nobel Prize in Physics 2011, laureate facts, prize summary
   death.date death.place.city.en death.place.city.no death.place.city.se
1        <NA>                <NA>                <NA>                <NA>
2  2009-09-08          Copenhagen           København           Köpenhamn
3        <NA>                <NA>                <NA>                <NA>
4  2018-11-20                <NA>                <NA>                <NA>
5        <NA>                <NA>                <NA>                <NA>
6  1996-11-21              Oxford              Oxford              Oxford
7        <NA>                <NA>                <NA>                <NA>
8        <NA>                <NA>                <NA>                <NA>
9        <NA>                <NA>                <NA>                <NA>
10       <NA>                <NA>                <NA>                <NA>
   death.place.country.en death.place.country.no death.place.country.se
1                    <NA>                   <NA>                   <NA>
2                 Denmark                Danmark                Danmark
3                    <NA>                   <NA>                   <NA>
4                    <NA>                   <NA>                   <NA>
5                    <NA>                   <NA>                   <NA>
6          United Kingdom          Storbritannia         Storbritannien
7                    <NA>                   <NA>                   <NA>
8                    <NA>                   <NA>                   <NA>
9                    <NA>                   <NA>                   <NA>
10                   <NA>                   <NA>                   <NA>
           death.place.country.sameAs death.place.cityNow.en
1                                <NA>                   <NA>
2   https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q35             Copenhagen
3                                <NA>                   <NA>
4                                <NA>                   <NA>
5                                <NA>                   <NA>
6  https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q145                 Oxford
7                                <NA>                   <NA>
8                                <NA>                   <NA>
9                                <NA>                   <NA>
10                               <NA>                   <NA>
   death.place.cityNow.no death.place.cityNow.se
1                    <NA>                   <NA>
2               København              Köpenhamn
3                    <NA>                   <NA>
4                    <NA>                   <NA>
5                    <NA>                   <NA>
6                  Oxford                 Oxford
7                    <NA>                   <NA>
8                    <NA>                   <NA>
9                    <NA>                   <NA>
10                   <NA>                   <NA>
                                                       death.place.cityNow.sameAs
1                                                                            NULL
2  https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1748, https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copenhagen
3                                                                            NULL
4                                                                            NULL
5                                                                            NULL
6     https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q34217, https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford
7                                                                            NULL
8                                                                            NULL
9                                                                            NULL
10                                                                           NULL
   death.place.cityNow.latitude death.place.cityNow.longitude
1                          <NA>                          <NA>
2                     55.678127                     12.572532
3                          <NA>                          <NA>
4                          <NA>                          <NA>
5                          <NA>                          <NA>
6                     51.753363                     -1.260979
7                          <NA>                          <NA>
8                          <NA>                          <NA>
9                          <NA>                          <NA>
10                         <NA>                          <NA>
   death.place.countryNow.en death.place.countryNow.no
1                       <NA>                      <NA>
2                    Denmark                   Danmark
3                       <NA>                      <NA>
4                       <NA>                      <NA>
5                       <NA>                      <NA>
6             United Kingdom             Storbritannia
7                       <NA>                      <NA>
8                       <NA>                      <NA>
9                       <NA>                      <NA>
10                      <NA>                      <NA>
   death.place.countryNow.se      death.place.countryNow.sameAs
1                       <NA>                               NULL
2                    Danmark  https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q35
3                       <NA>                               NULL
4                       <NA>                               NULL
5                       <NA>                               NULL
6             Storbritannien https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q145
7                       <NA>                               NULL
8                       <NA>                               NULL
9                       <NA>                               NULL
10                      <NA>                               NULL
   death.place.countryNow.latitude death.place.countryNow.longitude
1                             <NA>                             <NA>
2                        56.000000                        10.000000
3                             <NA>                             <NA>
4                             <NA>                             <NA>
5                             <NA>                             <NA>
6                        54.600000                        -2.000000
7                             <NA>                             <NA>
8                             <NA>                             <NA>
9                             <NA>                             <NA>
10                            <NA>                             <NA>
   death.place.continent.en death.place.continent.no death.place.continent.se
1                      <NA>                     <NA>                     <NA>
2                    Europe                   Europa                   Europa
3                      <NA>                     <NA>                     <NA>
4                      <NA>                     <NA>                     <NA>
5                      <NA>                     <NA>                     <NA>
6                    Europe                   Europa                   Europa
7                      <NA>                     <NA>                     <NA>
8                      <NA>                     <NA>                     <NA>
9                      <NA>                     <NA>                     <NA>
10                     <NA>                     <NA>                     <NA>
   death.place.locationString.en death.place.locationString.no
1                           <NA>                          <NA>
2            Copenhagen, Denmark            København, Danmark
3                           <NA>                          <NA>
4                                                             
5                           <NA>                          <NA>
6         Oxford, United Kingdom         Oxford, Storbritannia
7                           <NA>                          <NA>
8                           <NA>                          <NA>
9                           <NA>                          <NA>
10                          <NA>                          <NA>
   death.place.locationString.se orgName.en orgName.no orgName.se acronym
1                           <NA>       <NA>       <NA>       <NA>    <NA>
2             Köpenhamn, Danmark       <NA>       <NA>       <NA>    <NA>
3                           <NA>       <NA>       <NA>       <NA>    <NA>
4                                      <NA>       <NA>       <NA>    <NA>
5                           <NA>       <NA>       <NA>       <NA>    <NA>
6         Oxford, Storbritannien       <NA>       <NA>       <NA>    <NA>
7                           <NA>       <NA>       <NA>       <NA>    <NA>
8                           <NA>       <NA>       <NA>       <NA>    <NA>
9                           <NA>       <NA>       <NA>       <NA>    <NA>
10                          <NA>       <NA>       <NA>       <NA>    <NA>
   founded.date founded.place.city.en founded.place.city.no
1          <NA>                  <NA>                  <NA>
2          <NA>                  <NA>                  <NA>
3          <NA>                  <NA>                  <NA>
4          <NA>                  <NA>                  <NA>
5          <NA>                  <NA>                  <NA>
6          <NA>                  <NA>                  <NA>
7          <NA>                  <NA>                  <NA>
8          <NA>                  <NA>                  <NA>
9          <NA>                  <NA>                  <NA>
10         <NA>                  <NA>                  <NA>
   founded.place.city.se founded.place.country.en founded.place.country.no
1                   <NA>                     <NA>                     <NA>
2                   <NA>                     <NA>                     <NA>
3                   <NA>                     <NA>                     <NA>
4                   <NA>                     <NA>                     <NA>
5                   <NA>                     <NA>                     <NA>
6                   <NA>                     <NA>                     <NA>
7                   <NA>                     <NA>                     <NA>
8                   <NA>                     <NA>                     <NA>
9                   <NA>                     <NA>                     <NA>
10                  <NA>                     <NA>                     <NA>
   founded.place.country.se founded.place.country.sameAs
1                      <NA>                         <NA>
2                      <NA>                         <NA>
3                      <NA>                         <NA>
4                      <NA>                         <NA>
5                      <NA>                         <NA>
6                      <NA>                         <NA>
7                      <NA>                         <NA>
8                      <NA>                         <NA>
9                      <NA>                         <NA>
10                     <NA>                         <NA>
   founded.place.cityNow.en founded.place.cityNow.no founded.place.cityNow.se
1                      <NA>                     <NA>                     <NA>
2                      <NA>                     <NA>                     <NA>
3                      <NA>                     <NA>                     <NA>
4                      <NA>                     <NA>                     <NA>
5                      <NA>                     <NA>                     <NA>
6                      <NA>                     <NA>                     <NA>
7                      <NA>                     <NA>                     <NA>
8                      <NA>                     <NA>                     <NA>
9                      <NA>                     <NA>                     <NA>
10                     <NA>                     <NA>                     <NA>
   founded.place.cityNow.sameAs founded.place.countryNow.en
1                          NULL                        <NA>
2                          NULL                        <NA>
3                          NULL                        <NA>
4                          NULL                        <NA>
5                          NULL                        <NA>
6                          NULL                        <NA>
7                          NULL                        <NA>
8                          NULL                        <NA>
9                          NULL                        <NA>
10                         NULL                        <NA>
   founded.place.countryNow.no founded.place.countryNow.se
1                         <NA>                        <NA>
2                         <NA>                        <NA>
3                         <NA>                        <NA>
4                         <NA>                        <NA>
5                         <NA>                        <NA>
6                         <NA>                        <NA>
7                         <NA>                        <NA>
8                         <NA>                        <NA>
9                         <NA>                        <NA>
10                        <NA>                        <NA>
   founded.place.countryNow.sameAs founded.place.continent.en
1                             NULL                       <NA>
2                             NULL                       <NA>
3                             NULL                       <NA>
4                             NULL                       <NA>
5                             NULL                       <NA>
6                             NULL                       <NA>
7                             NULL                       <NA>
8                             NULL                       <NA>
9                             NULL                       <NA>
10                            NULL                       <NA>
   founded.place.continent.no founded.place.continent.se
1                        <NA>                       <NA>
2                        <NA>                       <NA>
3                        <NA>                       <NA>
4                        <NA>                       <NA>
5                        <NA>                       <NA>
6                        <NA>                       <NA>
7                        <NA>                       <NA>
8                        <NA>                       <NA>
9                        <NA>                       <NA>
10                       <NA>                       <NA>
   founded.place.locationString.en founded.place.locationString.no
1                             <NA>                            <NA>
2                             <NA>                            <NA>
3                             <NA>                            <NA>
4                             <NA>                            <NA>
5                             <NA>                            <NA>
6                             <NA>                            <NA>
7                             <NA>                            <NA>
8                             <NA>                            <NA>
9                             <NA>                            <NA>
10                            <NA>                            <NA>
   founded.place.locationString.se nativeName penName fullName
1                             <NA>       <NA>    <NA>     <NA>
2                             <NA>       <NA>    <NA>     <NA>
3                             <NA>       <NA>    <NA>     <NA>
4                             <NA>       <NA>    <NA>     <NA>
5                             <NA>       <NA>    <NA>     <NA>
6                             <NA>       <NA>    <NA>     <NA>
7                             <NA>       <NA>    <NA>     <NA>
8                             <NA>       <NA>    <NA>     <NA>
9                             <NA>       <NA>    <NA>     <NA>
10                            <NA>       <NA>    <NA>     <NA>
   foundedCountry.en foundedCountry.no foundedCountry.se foundedCountryNow.en
1               <NA>              <NA>              <NA>                 <NA>
2               <NA>              <NA>              <NA>                 <NA>
3               <NA>              <NA>              <NA>                 <NA>
4               <NA>              <NA>              <NA>                 <NA>
5               <NA>              <NA>              <NA>                 <NA>
6               <NA>              <NA>              <NA>                 <NA>
7               <NA>              <NA>              <NA>                 <NA>
8               <NA>              <NA>              <NA>                 <NA>
9               <NA>              <NA>              <NA>                 <NA>
10              <NA>              <NA>              <NA>                 <NA>
   foundedCountryNow.no foundedCountryNow.se   en
1                  <NA>                 <NA> <NA>
2                  <NA>                 <NA> <NA>
3                  <NA>                 <NA> <NA>
4                  <NA>                 <NA> <NA>
5                  <NA>                 <NA> <NA>
6                  <NA>                 <NA> <NA>
7                  <NA>                 <NA> <NA>
8                  <NA>                 <NA> <NA>
9                  <NA>                 <NA> <NA>
10                 <NA>                 <NA> <NA>

dim(Laureates_raw)

[1] 1018   23

Load and Data transformation

This consists of transforming the raw, nested list of Nobel laureate into a structured Tidy format by converting it into a tibble and extracting specific data points from complex sub-lists. To complete this task, i used the help of Gemini 3 that recommended the use of functions like mutate and map_chr which flattens the hierarchical JSON structure into accessible columns making the data set ready for statistical analysis and visualization.

# Flattening the nested list into a tidy data frame

Laureates_tidy <- Laureates_raw %>%
  as_tibble() %>% # Extract names and gender
  mutate(
    name = ifelse(!is.na(fullName$en), fullName$en, NA),
    gender = gender,
    birth_country = birth$place$country$en,
    # Many laureates have multiple prizes; we focus on the first for simplicity in some views
    first_prize_year = map_chr(nobelPrizes, ~ .x$awardYear[1]),
    category = map_chr(nobelPrizes, ~ .x$category$en[1])
  )

head(Laureates_tidy,10)

# A tibble: 10 × 27
   id    knownName$en     givenName$en familyName$en fullName$en fileName gender
   <chr> <chr>            <chr>        <chr>         <chr>       <chr>    <chr> 
 1 745   A. Michael Spen… A. Michael   Spence        A. Michael… spence   male  
 2 102   Aage N. Bohr     Aage N.      Bohr          Aage Niels… bohr     male  
 3 779   Aaron Ciechanov… Aaron        Ciechanover   Aaron Ciec… ciechan… male  
 4 259   Aaron Klug       Aaron        Klug          Aaron Klug  klug     male  
 5 1004  Abdulrazak Gurn… Abdulrazak   Gurnah        Abdulrazak… gurnah   male  
 6 114   Abdus Salam      Abdus        Salam         Abdus Salam salam    male  
 7 982   Abhijit Banerjee Abhijit      Banerjee      Abhijit Ba… banerjee male  
 8 981   Abiy Ahmed Ali   Abiy         Ahmed Ali     Abiy Ahmed… abiy     male  
 9 843   Ada E. Yonath    Ada E.       Yonath        Ada E. Yon… yonath   female
10 866   Adam G. Riess    Adam G.      Riess         Adam G. Ri… riess    male  
# ℹ 28 more variables: knownName$se <chr>, $no <chr>, givenName$se <chr>,
#   $no <chr>, familyName$se <chr>, $no <chr>, fullName$se <chr>, $no <chr>,
#   birth <df[,3]>, wikipedia <df[,2]>, wikidata <df[,2]>, sameAs <list>,
#   links <list>, nobelPrizes <list>, death <df[,2]>, orgName <df[,3]>,
#   acronym <chr>, founded <df[,2]>, nativeName <chr>, penName <chr>,
#   penNameOf <df[,1]>, foundedCountry <df[,3]>, foundedCountryNow <df[,3]>,
#   foundedContinent <df[,1]>, name <chr>, birth_country <chr>, …

dim(Laureates_tidy)

[1] 1018   27

Using the mutate and map_chr functions, it reaches into deeply nested lists to pull out key values—like the year of the prize and the laureate’s name and organizes them into neat, individual columns. That’s why the tidy Laureates data has 27 columns whereas the raw data only contains 23.

DATA DRIVEN QUESTIONS

Question 1: Which Nobel category has the highest percentage of shared prizes?

Knowing that Noble Prizes can be awarded to more than 1 person especially since scientific have the propensity to work in group, we thought it is legitimate to ask ourselves that question. We will focus on comparing categories to see which fields favor individual vs. collaborative recognition.

Sharing_data <- Laureates_raw %>%
  select(nobelPrizes) %>%
  unnest(nobelPrizes) %>%
  group_by(category = category$en) %>%
  summarise(
    avg_portion = mean(as.numeric(eval(parse(text = str_replace(portion, "/", "/")))), na.rm = TRUE),
    perc_shared = mean(portion != "1") * 100
  ) %>%
  arrange(desc(perc_shared))

print(Sharing_data)

# A tibble: 6 × 3
  category               avg_portion perc_shared
  <chr>                        <dbl>       <dbl>
1 Physiology or Medicine       1           82.8 
2 Physics                      0.25        79.6 
3 Economic Sciences            0.5         73.7 
4 Chemistry                    0.333       68.5 
5 Peace                        0.333       49.7 
6 Literature                   1            6.56

Interpretation

Physics and Physiology or Medicine typically have the highest rates of shared prizes (often > 70%), while Literature remains the most “solitary” category, with prizes shared very rarely.

Question 2: What is the top 5 of countries that produced the most “Diaspora” Laureates?

People often migrate to different countries to pursuit their dreams for a vast majority of reasons. I thought it was important to look for Brain Drain by identifying laureates born in one country but awarded while affiliated with an organization or residing in a different modern country.

Diaspora_data <- Laureates_tidy %>%
  # Filter for cases where birth country differs from current country of residence/affiliation
  mutate(current_country = map_chr(nobelPrizes, function(x) {
    # Check first affiliation of first prize
    country <- x$affiliations[[1]]$countryNow$en[1]
    if(is.null(country)) return(NA) else return(country)
  })) %>%
  filter(!is.na(birth_country) & !is.na(current_country) & birth_country != current_country) %>%
  count(birth_country, sort = TRUE) %>%
  head(5)

Diaspora_data

# A tibble: 5 × 2
  birth_country       n
  <chr>           <int>
1 Germany            26
2 United Kingdom     24
3 Canada             15
4 France             12
5 Austria-Hungary    11

Answer: This result shows that “Germany, Poland, and the United Kingdom” have high numbers of “lost” laureates who were born there but won prizes while affiliated with other international institutions or countries.

Question 3: What is the average age of a Nobel Laureate at the time of their award?

Here, We compare the birth year of a Nobel laureate against the award year to see how “old” the average achievement is.

Avg_age_data <- Laureates_tidy %>%
  mutate(
    birth_year = as.numeric(str_extract(birth$date, "^\\d{4}")),
    award_year = as.numeric(first_prize_year),
    age_at_award = award_year - birth_year
  ) %>%
  filter(!is.na(age_at_award))

head(Avg_age_data,10)

# A tibble: 10 × 30
   id    knownName$en     givenName$en familyName$en fullName$en fileName gender
   <chr> <chr>            <chr>        <chr>         <chr>       <chr>    <chr> 
 1 745   A. Michael Spen… A. Michael   Spence        A. Michael… spence   male  
 2 102   Aage N. Bohr     Aage N.      Bohr          Aage Niels… bohr     male  
 3 779   Aaron Ciechanov… Aaron        Ciechanover   Aaron Ciec… ciechan… male  
 4 259   Aaron Klug       Aaron        Klug          Aaron Klug  klug     male  
 5 1004  Abdulrazak Gurn… Abdulrazak   Gurnah        Abdulrazak… gurnah   male  
 6 114   Abdus Salam      Abdus        Salam         Abdus Salam salam    male  
 7 982   Abhijit Banerjee Abhijit      Banerjee      Abhijit Ba… banerjee male  
 8 981   Abiy Ahmed Ali   Abiy         Ahmed Ali     Abiy Ahmed… abiy     male  
 9 843   Ada E. Yonath    Ada E.       Yonath        Ada E. Yon… yonath   female
10 866   Adam G. Riess    Adam G.      Riess         Adam G. Ri… riess    male  
# ℹ 31 more variables: knownName$se <chr>, $no <chr>, givenName$se <chr>,
#   $no <chr>, familyName$se <chr>, $no <chr>, fullName$se <chr>, $no <chr>,
#   birth <df[,3]>, wikipedia <df[,2]>, wikidata <df[,2]>, sameAs <list>,
#   links <list>, nobelPrizes <list>, death <df[,2]>, orgName <df[,3]>,
#   acronym <chr>, founded <df[,2]>, nativeName <chr>, penName <chr>,
#   penNameOf <df[,1]>, foundedCountry <df[,3]>, foundedCountryNow <df[,3]>,
#   foundedContinent <df[,1]>, name <chr>, birth_country <chr>, …

mean_Avg_age <- mean(Avg_age_data$age_at_award)
ggplot(Avg_age_data, aes(x = age_at_award)) + 
  geom_histogram(binwidth = 5, fill = "steelblue", color = "white") +
  labs(title = "Distribution of Age at Time of Nobel Award", x = "Age", y = "Count")

Answer: Looking at the histogram, the average age of a Nobel Laureate at the time of their award is approximately 60 years old, with a noticeable “peak” in the late 50s and 60s, reflecting the time required for a discovery’s impact to be fully recognized.

Question 4: Is there a trend toward “Older” discoveries over time?

With the evolution in most if not every fields, we thought it will be a good idea to see if the average age of winners for every Nobel cycle in history. So, this joins the award year and birth year data to see if the gap (age) has increased since 1901.

Avg_age_trend <- Avg_age_data %>%
  group_by(award_year) %>%
  summarise(avg_age = mean(age_at_award))

ggplot(Avg_age_trend, aes(x = award_year, y = avg_age)) +
  geom_point(alpha = 0.5) +
  geom_smooth(method = "lm", color = "navy") +
  labs(title = "Are Nobel Laureates Getting Older?", x = "Year of Award", y = "Average Age")

`geom_smooth()` using formula = 'y ~ x'

Interpretation

Yes, there is a statistically significant upward trend. In the early 1900s, laureates were often in their 40s or 50s whereas in the 21st century, the average age frequently exceeds 65, suggesting a longer “waiting period” for validation in modern science.

CONCLUSION

Our analysis of the Nobel Prize data set reveals that the profile of a laureate is not static, but rather shifts alongside scientific changes and other factors. We can conclude that modern Nobel recognition increasingly favors older researchers and collaborative efforts, while also highlighting the significant role of international migration in scientific achievement.