Warren grew up in Palo Alto, California, at a time and with a loving family that greatly valued the development of computer technology and science. Warren's life-long commitment to computational biosciences began when he was an undergraduate research student (majoring in molecular biophysics and biochemistry (MB&B) and computer science at Yale University) and asked one of us (A.T.B.) to supervise his MB&B senior thesis research. At the time, MB&B and the Center of Structural Biology had become a powerhouse of what we now know call “structural biology.” Warren was attracted to solving the complexities of macromolecular systems using computational tools.

For Warren, programming was not just a job or a means to another goal—it was like playing a musical instrument. The programs he designed were symphonies in computational space: integrated, complex and elegant at the same time. What's more, these masterpieces can be played by everyone.

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