William E. Moerner | |
|---|---|
 Moerner in 2024 | |
| Born | William Esco Moerner (1953-06-24)June 24, 1953 (age 72) Pleasanton, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | |
| Awards | Wolf Prize in Chemistry(2008) Irving Langmuir Award(2009) Peter Debye Award (2013) Nobel Prize in Chemistry(2014) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Chemistry,applied physics,biophysics |
| Institutions | |
| Thesis | Vibrational relaxation dynamics of an IR-laser-excited molecular impurity mode in alkali halide lattices (1982) |
| Doctoral advisor | Albert J. Sievers |
| Other academic advisors | James Gegan Miller |
William Esco Moerner, also known asW. E. Moerner, (born June 24, 1953) is an Americanphysical chemist andchemical physicist with current work in thebiophysics and imaging of single molecules. He is credited with achieving the first optical detection andspectroscopy of a single molecule incondensed phases, along with his postdoc, Lothar Kador.[1][2] Optical study of single molecules has subsequently become a widely usedsingle-molecule experiment in chemistry, physics and biology.[3] In 2014, he was awarded theNobel Prize in Chemistry.[4][5]
Moerner was born inPleasanton, California, in 1953 June 24 the son of Bertha Frances (Robinson) and William Alfred Moerner. He attendedWashington University in St. Louis for undergraduate studies as an Alexander S. Langsdorf Engineering Fellow, and obtained three degrees: a B.S. in physics, a B.S. in electrical engineering, and an A.B. in mathematics in 1975.[6]
He then pursued graduate study, partially supported by aNational Science Foundation, atCornell University in the group of Albert J. Sievers III.[7] Here he received an M.S. degree and a Ph.D. degree in physics in 1978 and 1982, respectively. His doctoral thesis was on vibrational relaxation dynamics of an IR-laser-excited molecular impurity mode in alkali halide lattices.[8] T
Moerner worked at theIBM Almaden Research Center inSan Jose, California, as a research staff member from 1981 to 1988, a manager from 1988 to 1989, and project leader from 1989 to 1995. After an appointment as visiting guest professor of physical chemistry atETH Zurich (1993–1994), he assumed the distinguished chair in physical chemistry in the department of chemistry and biochemistry at theUniversity of California, San Diego, from 1995 to 1998. In 1997 he was named the Robert Burns Woodward Visiting Professor atHarvard University. His research group moved toStanford University in 1998, where he became professor of chemistry (1998), Harry S. Mosher Professor (2003), and professor, by courtesy, of applied physics (2005).[9][10][11] Moerner was appointed department chair for chemistry from 2011 to 2014.[12] His current areas of research and interest include: single-molecule spectroscopy andsuper-resolution microscopy,physical chemistry,chemical physics,biophysics, nanoparticle trapping,nanophotonics, photorefractive polymers, and spectral hole-burning.[10][13] As of May 2014, Moerner was listed as a faculty advisor in 26 theses written by Stanford graduate students.[14]
Recent editorial and advisory boards Moerner has served on include: member of the Board of Scientific Counselors for theNational Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB);[15] Advisory board member for the Institute of Atomic and Molecular Sciences, Academica Sinica, Taiwan;[16] advisory editorial board member forChemical Physics Letters;[17] advisory board member for the Center for Biomedical Imaging at Stanford;[18] and chair of Stanford University's health and safety committee.[12]
Moerner is the recipient the National Winner of the Outstanding Young Professional Award for 1984,[19] from the electrical engineering honorary society,Eta Kappa Nu, April 22, 1985; IBM Outstanding Technical Achievement Award for Photon-Gated Spectral Hole-Burning, July 11, 1988;[20] IBM Outstanding Technical Achievement Award for Single-Molecule Detection and Spectroscopy, November 22, 1992;[20]Earle K. Plyler Prize for Molecular Spectroscopy,American Physical Society, 2001;[21]Wolf Prize in Chemistry, 2008;[22][23][24]Irving Langmuir Award in Chemical Physics,American Physical Society, 2009;[25][26] Pittsburgh Spectroscopy Award, 2012;[27]Peter Debye Award in Physical Chemistry,American Chemical Society, 2013;[28][29] the Engineering Alumni Achievement Award, Washington University, 2013;[6] and the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 2014.[4][5] Moerner also holds more than a dozen patents.
His honorary memberships include Senior Member,IEEE, June 17, 1988,[20] and Member,National Academy of Sciences, 2007.[30][31] He is also a Fellow of theOptical Society of America, May 28, 1992;[20][32] theAmerican Physical Society, November 16, 1992;[33] theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2001;[34] and theAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science, 2004.[35]
Moerner was born on June 24, 1953, at Parks Air Force Base inPleasanton, California. From birth, his family called him by his initials W. E. as a way to distinguish him from his father and grandfather who are also named William.[9] He grew up in Texas where he attendedThomas Jefferson High School inSan Antonio. He participated in many activities during high school: Band, Speech and Debate, Math and Science Contest Team, Bi-Phy-Chem, Masque and Gavel, National Honor Society, Boy Scouts, Amateur Radio Club, Russian Club, Forum Social Club, Toastmasters, "On the Spot" Team and Editor of Each has Spoken. Moerner and his wife, Sharon, have one son, Daniel.[36]
