We are saddened to announce the passing of Professor Emeritus Xuong Nguyen-Huu, a pioneering figure in structural biology and X-ray crystallography who held joint appointments in chemistry, biology and physics. He died May 11, 2026, from complications due to Parkinson’s disease. He was 92.
Nguyen-Huu’s career spanned more than four decades across the globe. He helped transform how protein crystals are studied by designing and building the first operational multi‑wire proportional‑counter area detector to collect x-ray diffraction data. Commonly known as Xuong Machines, these detectors were able to record diffraction data 200 times faster than single counter diffractometers, dramatically reducing the time it took to collect a data set while also improving the quality of the resulting protein structure — often from a single crystal. These detectors later became commercial products through a startup company founded by Nguyen-Huu and lab members Ron Hamlin and Chris Nielsen, extending the technology to laboratories worldwide. The Xuong Machine was pivotal in the development of the HIV antiretroviral drug Viracept.
Known for his collaborative approach to science, Nguyen-Huu had an uncanny ability to identify the right expertise across disciplines, bringing together physicists, biologists, chemists and engineers to solve problems. He also trained dozens of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, many of whom now lead their own research programs and continue to advance protein crystallography.
Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Pharmacology Susan Taylor remembers Nguyen-Huu as a giant in the field of X-ray crystallography. “Everyone in the world came here to collect data on Xuong’s area detector when I first arrived,” said Taylor.
He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from École supérieure d’électricité (France) and his PhD from UC Berkeley. He received a Guggenheim Fellowship and NATO Senior Fellowship, as well as the Chancellor's Associates Award from UC San Diego. Born in Vietnam, he also served as the president of the Vietnamese Alliance Association and co-founded Boat People SOS Committee, which helped obtain visas for Vietnamese refugees.
He is survived by wife Lan and daughter Mai.
