He published his first scientific paper in chemistry at the age of 15 and earned his doctorate at 23. Alongside many published patents and scientific works, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1975 for research in the stereochemistry of organic compounds, which laid the foundation for a large number of drugs, especially antibiotics.

After retiring as a professor at ETH Zurich, he became a student again so that he could spend every day in the laboratory. 1991. godine je pokrenuo kampanju sa živućim Nobelovcima protiv srpske agresije na Hrvatsku.