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Scientific Biographies

Science is a human pursuit. Meet the people behind some of the most significant achievements and discoveries in the history of chemistry, chemical engineering, and the life sciences.
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Ellen H. Swallow Richards

A pioneer in water sanitation and the first women to be admitted into MIT, Richards is one of the founders of home economics and spearheaded one of the first school lunch programs in the U.S.

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portrait of Ellen Richards in a cap and gown

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Albert sits on a chair, leaning forward with his elbows on his legs and hands clasped.
Albert Szent-Györgyi
1893 - 1986
Joseph John “J. J.” Thomson
1856 - 1940
Donald wears a suit and maroon tie. There is an orange background.
Donald A. Tomalia
b. 1938
Portrait of Jacobus van't Hoff, before 1898.
Jacobus Henricus van’t Hoff
1852 - 1911
Portrait of William Walker
William Walker
1869 - 1934
James Watson and Francis Crick
James Watson
b. 1928
Harvey Washington Wiley
1844 - 1930
Maurice Wilkins with X-ray crystallographic equipment about 1954.
Maurice Wilkins
1916 - 2004
half-length portrait of German chemist Friedrich Wöhler
Friedrich Wöhler
1800 - 1882
David T. Wong
David T. Wong
b. 1935
Robert Burns Woodward
1917 - 1979
Rosalyn Yalow
1921 - 2011
Karl Ziegler (center) with members of the Hercules group that commercialized high-density polyethylene as Hi-fax.
Karl Ziegler
1898 - 1973
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About Scientific Biographies

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