Physical Scientists

Professor of Statistics in Medicine at the University of Oxford

Douglas Graham Altman (1948-2018) was an English statistician known for his work on improving the reliability and reporting of medical research. He was a professor of statistics in medicine at the University of Oxford and a co-founder of the international Equator Network for health research reliability.

Professor Emeritus, School of Natural Sciences, Mathematical Physics

Edward Witten is a Professor Emeritus in the School of Natural Sciences at the Institute for Advanced Study. His work combines mathematical power and physics insight, significantly enriching both fields. He is known for his contributions to superstring theory and quantum duality symmetries, opening new perspectives on particle physics, string theory, and topology.

Full Professor, Laboratory of Photonics and Interfaces

Professor of Physical Chemistry at the Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) Michael Graetzel, PhD, directs there the Laboratory of Photonics and Interfaces. He pioneered research on energy and electron transfer reactions in mesoscopic systems and their use to generate electricity and fuels from sunlight. He invented mesoscopic injection solar cells, one key embodiment of which is the dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC).

Regents Professor, Distinguished University Teaching Professor, Department of Chemistry

Donald G. Truhlar is a Regents Professor and Distinguished University Teaching Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Minnesota. He specializes in theoretical and computational chemistry, with research interests spanning quantum photochemistry, reaction rates, and environmental computational chemistry. He received his B.S. from St. Mary's College in 1965 and his Ph.D. from Caltech in 1970.

Woodford L. and Ann A. Flowers University Research Professor

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 in 1964. He was a member of the faculty of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1963 to 1982 and joined the Department of Chemistry of Harvard University in 1982. He 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.