As news began to circulate on Wednesday that American scientist Jennifer Doudna had won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry with France’s Emmanuelle Charpentier, Montana State University researcher Blake Wiedenheft was among the first to hear, with a pre-dawn phone call from a colleague.

Wiedenheft, whose work in Doudna’s lab as a postdoctoral researcher contributed to the breakthrough discovery that earned her what is widely considered science’s top honor, immediately sent a heartfelt note of congratulations to his mentor, whom he described as a humble champion of higher education.