George M. Whitesides

George M. Whitesides was "born August 3, 1939, in Louisville, KY. He received an A.B. degree from Harvard University in 1960 and a Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology (with J.D. Roberts) in 1964.

"He was a member of the faculty of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1963 to 1982. He joined the Department of Chemistry of Harvard University in 1982, and was Department Chairman 1986-9. He is now Mallinckrodt Professor of Chemistry at Harvard University. He received an Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship in 1968; the American Chemical Society (ACS) Award in Pure Chemistry in 1975; the Harrison Howe Award (Rochester Section of the ACS) in 1979; an Alumni Distinguished Service Award (California Institute of Technology) in 1980; the Remsen Award (ACS, Maryland Section) in 1983, an Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award (ACS) in 1989; the James Flack Norris Award (ACS, New England Section) in 1994; the Arthur C. Cope Award (ACS) in 1995; the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Award for Significant Technical Achievement in 1996; the Madison Marshall Award (ACS) in 1996; the National Medal of Science in 1998; the Sierra Nevada Distinguished Chemist Award (Sierra Nevada Section of the ACS), The Wallac Oy Innovation Award in High Throughput Screening (Society for Biomolecular Screening), and the Award for Excellence in Surface Science (Surfaces in Biomaterials Foundation) in 1999; and the Von Hippel award (Materials Research Society) in 2000. In 2001 he received the World Technology Award for Materials from the World Technology Network.

"He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. He is also a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the New York Academy of Science, and the World Technology Network, and a Foreign Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy, an Honorary Member of the Materials Research Society of India, and an Honorary Fellow of the Chemical Research Society of India.

"Recent advisory positions include: National Research Council:Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology (1984-9; Chairman, 1986-9); Naval Studies Board (1989-97; Vice Chairman, 1992-97); Board on Science, Technology and Economic Policy (1991-7); Board on Physics and Astronomy (1997- ); National Science Foundation: Chemistry Advisory Committee (1984-6; Chairman, 1986), Materials Research Advisory Committee (1991-3; Chairman, 1993), Review Panel for the Materials Research Laboratories (1993, co-Chairman); Advisory Committee for Mathematics and Physical Sciences (1993-6); NSF Senior Assessment Panel: International Assessment of U. S. Mathematical Sciences (1997).

"Department of Defense: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Defense Science Research Council (1984- ); Defense Science Board (1993-); Threat Reduction Advisory Committee to the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (1998- ).

"Other: M.I.T. Advisory Committee for the MIT Lincoln Laboratory (1985- ; Chairman 2000- ); Scientific Advisory Committee for the Scripps Research Institute (1993- ). He is a member of the editorial boards of Journal of Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry Letters, Chemistry of Materials, Angewandte Chemie, Chemistry & Biology, Langmuir, Nanotechnology, Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces, and Sensors and Actuators. Present research interests include materials science, biophysics, complexity, surface science, microfluidics, self-assembly, micro- and nanotechnology, and cell-surface biochemistry." -- George M. Whitesides is "Mallinckrodt Professor of Chemistry at Harvard University. A member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), Dr. Whitesides' background is in biological and physical sciences, including materials science, organic chemistry, and biochemistry. Dr. Whitesides is a leading chemist who received the U.S. National Medal of Science in 1998. His research interests include surface chemistry, materials science, self-assembly, capillary electrophoresis, organic solid state, molecular virology, and protein chemistry. He has served on numerous scientific boards and advisory committees including, most recently, a biological warfare defense study for the Department of Defense. He currently [2002] is serving as a member of the Committee on Science and Technology for Countering Terrorism. - Affilitions


 * Chairman, Defense Science Board Task Force on Defense against Chemical Weapons (2001)