* 1958: Third place in the Westinghouse Science Talent Search (currently called the International Science and Engineering Fair), a prestigious nationwide science fair
* 1985: MacArthur Fellowship, also called the "Genius Grant" awarded to individuals who have "shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and marked capacity for self-direction"
* 1991: Election to National Academy of Science, an honor that recognizes exceptional previous and continual original research 
* 2006: Election to the National Academy of Medicine in Washington, D.C., a nonprofit institution that strives to offer objective science, technology, and health advice
* 2012: American Crystallographic Association fellow in 2012  for fulfilling the following criteria: "a Member whose efforts on behalf of the advancement of crystallography or its applications that are scientifically or socially distinguished"
* 2012 - 2013: President of the Biophysical society
* 2019: Alexander Hollaender Award in Biophysics, an award of distinguished biophysics contributions