LibGuides: Chemistry: Notable names

Notable Diverse Chemists

Ben Barres
Achievements: The first openly transgender member of the US National Academy of Sciences, is remembered not just for his groundbreaking work on glial cells in the brain but also as a champion for women in science.
George Washington Carver
Achievements: Revolutionized agricultural science in the US. A pioneer in the field of chemurgy, which aimed to find industrial uses for surplus crops using the power of chemistry. He found around 300 uses for the peanut, one of the crops he recommended be rotated with cotton plants. Carver’s work was named a National Historic Chemical Landmark by the American Chemical Society in 2005.
Gregory L. Hillhouse
Achievements: Showed he could make nitrenes with late transition metals, opening up new reactions for creating important organic molecules.Hillhouse called his first such molecule, constructed in 2001, double nickel—a name that his colleagues at the University of Chicago also conferred on him. His work won Hillhouse the ACS Award in Organometallic Chemistry in 2013. He also became a role model for younger LGBTQ+ chemists.
Jennifer Doudna
Achievements: A biochemist who has done pioneering work in CRISPR gene editing, and made other fundamental contributions in biochemistry and genetics.
Linneaus C. Dorman
Achievements: Organic chemist and inventor. He joined the American Chemical Society in 1957 and served in a number of administrative positions such as secretary, councilor, and director. Named Inventor of the Year by Dow Chemical Company in 1983, Dorman has been credited with over twenty inventions and patents in organic chemistry and biomaterials. He received the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers’ most prestigious award, the Percy C. Julian Award in 1992.
Lloyd Augustus Hall
Achievements: An American chemist, who contributed to the science of food preservation. By the end of his career, Hall had amassed 59 United States patents, Best known for his work in the field of food technology, where he developed processes to cure and preserve meat, prevent rancidity in fats, and sterilize spices. In 1939, he cofounded the Institute of Food Technologists, establishing a new branch of industrial chemistry.
Marie Curie
Achievements: A physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person to win a Nobel Prize twice, and the only person to win a Nobel Prize in two scientific fields.
Martin Gouterman
Achievements: A Philadelphia native and University of Washington chemist who became an expert in porphyrins, large ring molecules consisting of four smaller rings formed by four carbons and a nitrogen. Was out gay man at a time when few scientists were open about their sexuality. He discovered why blood is red and grass is green.
Yamuna Krishnan
Achievements: A professor at the Department of Chemistry, University of Chicago, where she has worked since August 2014. She was born to P.T. Krishnan and Mini in Parappanangadi, in the Malappuram district of Kerala, India. Won the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for science and technology, the highest science award in India in the year 2013 in the Chemical Science category.
Zhenan Bao
Achievements: A chemical engineer. She serves as K. K. Lee Professor of Chemical Engineering at Stanford University. Bao is known for her work on organic field-effect transistors and organic semiconductors, for applications including flexible electronics and electronic skin.

101 Women of STEM by Nicholas Faulkner (Editor)
ISBN: 9781680485110
Publication Date: 2016-07-30
This extensive and insightful text introduces readers to an eclectic mix of women who have excelled in all areas of science, technology, engineering, and math. Some of the figures are less well known than others, but all are highly accomplished and inspirational in their fields. This book offers biographies of astronauts, naturalists, zoologists, and astronomers, among many others. Any reader will be proud of the great pioneering work these women have done in their fields and be inspired to pursue such achievements on their own.
Contemporary Biographies in Chemistry by Donald R. Franceschetti (Editor)
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 1587659972
Publication Date: 2013-05-30
Features 31 profiles of notable people in the field of chemistry. In addition, an appendix consisting of 10 historical biographies of ""Great Chemists"" is included, as well as geographical and personages indexes. A list of contemporary physicists covered appears below: Barton, Jacqueline K. Belcher, Angela Bertozzi, Carolyn R. Catlin, Don H. Chauvin, Yves Chizmadzhev, Yurii Aleksandrovich Ciechanover, Aaron J. Djerassi, Carl Doudna, Jennifer A. Good, Mary L. Gupta, Mahabir P. Harris, Eva Heath, James R. Hershko, Avram Jones, Monty Kenyon, Cynthia Kiessling, Laura L. Moncada, Salvador Olopade, Olufunmilayo Paabo, Svante Rubin, Eddy Solomon, Susan Stefansson, Kari Steitz, Joan Argetsinger Tanaka, Koichi Terrett, Nicholas K. Wambugu, Florence Wells, Spencer Whitson, Peggy A. Wuthrich, Kurt Zewail, Ahmed H.