George M. Whitesides

Simple Bioanalythical Systems 

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Professor George M. Whitesides focuses his research work in four areas: biochemistry, materials science, catalysis and physical organic chemistry. Each of these areas requires development of the fundamental skills of experimental chemistry - synthesis and characterization of new compounds, examination of relations between molecular structure and reactivity or physical properties - but each, in addition, develops skill in other techniques - surface spectroscopy, microbiology, electron microscopy, ellipsometry, reactor design, measurement of such physical properties.

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 1986-89, and Mallinckrodt Professor of Chemistry from 1982-2004. He is now the Woodford L. and Ann A. Flowers University Professor.

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