James R. Heath
Encyclopedia
James R. Heath is an American
chemist and the Elizabeth W. Gilloon Professor of Chemistry at the California Institute of Technology
.
in Texas where he was an active member of the NoZe Brotherhood. He completed his Ph.D. in Physics and Chemistry from Rice University
in 1988.
. From 1991 to 1994, he was a Research Staff Member at IBM T.J. Watson Research Laboratory in Yorktown, New York. He joined the faculty at UCLA in 1994 and became Professor of Chemistry in 1997.
When Heath was at Rice University
, he ran the experimental apparatus that generated the first C60 molecules
and, ultimately, won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
for the three senior members of the collaboration: Robert F. Curl and Richard E. Smalley of Rice University
and Harold Kroto
of the University of Sussex
.
in 1999. In 2009, Heath was named one of the seven most powerful innovators of the world by Forbes magazine.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
chemist and the Elizabeth W. Gilloon Professor of Chemistry at the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
.
Early years
Heath graduated with a degree in Chemistry in 1984 from Baylor UniversityBaylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
in Texas where he was an active member of the NoZe Brotherhood. He completed his Ph.D. in Physics and Chemistry from Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
in 1988.
Academic career
From 1988 to 1991, he was a Miller Research Fellow at the Department of Chemistry, University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. From 1991 to 1994, he was a Research Staff Member at IBM T.J. Watson Research Laboratory in Yorktown, New York. He joined the faculty at UCLA in 1994 and became Professor of Chemistry in 1997.
Research
Heath is known for publishing an architecture demonstration of molecular computers, or moletronics. In moletronics, single molecules serve as switches, "quantum wires" a few atoms thick serve as wiring, and the hardware is synthesized chemically from the bottom up. It was published in the summer of 1999 by Heath, J. Fraser Stoddart (Chemist at UCLA) and their collaborators in the journal Science.When Heath was at Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
, he ran the experimental apparatus that generated the first C60 molecules
Fullerene
A fullerene is any molecule composed entirely of carbon, in the form of a hollow sphere, ellipsoid, or tube. Spherical fullerenes are also called buckyballs, and they resemble the balls used in association football. Cylindrical ones are called carbon nanotubes or buckytubes...
and, ultimately, won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Nobel Prize in Chemistry
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895, awarded for outstanding contributions in chemistry, physics, literature,...
for the three senior members of the collaboration: Robert F. Curl and Richard E. Smalley of Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
and Harold Kroto
Harold Kroto
Sir Harold Walter Kroto, FRS , born Harold Walter Krotoschiner, is a British chemist and one of the three recipients to share the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Robert Curl and Richard Smalley....
of the University of Sussex
University of Sussex
The University of Sussex is an English public research university situated next to the East Sussex village of Falmer, within the city of Brighton and Hove. The University received its Royal Charter in August 1961....
.
Awards and honours
Heath has received several awards and honours for his research. He was awarded the 2000 Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology. He became a fellow of American Physical SocietyAmerican Physical Society
The American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
in 1999. In 2009, Heath was named one of the seven most powerful innovators of the world by Forbes magazine.