Richard N. Zare, Stanford University

---

Abstract

The Analyst profiles Richard N. Zare, the Marguerite Blake Wilbur Professor in Natural Science, Stanford University and 2005 recipient of the Wolf Prize.

---

Biography

Richard Zare was born in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, on November 19, 1939. He studied for a BA in Chemistry and Physics (1961) at Harvard University, before undertaking postgraduate work at the University of California at Berkeley. He completed his PhD in Chemical Physics (1964) at Harvard University followed by a year as a postdoctoral research associate at the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics (JILA) at the University of Colorado. He was then appointed as an Assistant Professor (1965) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, before spending three years at the University of Colorado. In 1969 he gained his professorship with Columbia University where he was also subsequently appointed Higgins Professor of Natural Science (1975). In 1977 he moved to his current establishment, Stanford University, where he became a Professor of Chemistry, Marguerite Blake Wilbur Professor in Natural Science (1987), and Professor of Physics (1992). His main scientific interests include single molecule fluorescence spectroscopy, fundamental dynamics, and novel applications of cavity ring-down spectroscopy to liquids. He has a highly active role in numerous international boards and committees, more than seven hundred and fifty publications to date, over fifty patents, four published books, and has been presented with in excess of fifty honours and awards, most recently the 2005 Wolf Prize.

1. What inspired you to develop a career in the analytical sciences?

Probably, the turning point for me was when Dr Larry Seitz, US Department of Agriculture, Manhattan, Kansas Test Station, wandered into the wrong lecture at a national ACS meeting, listened to me state how sensitive laser induced fluorescence was in studying products of chemical reactions under single-collision conditions, and asked after the talk whether I could detect aflatoxin. At the time, I had no idea that aflatoxin was a mold metabolite found on contaminated grains and nuts. I replied “If aflatoxin is fluorescent and if I can vaporize it, then I can do it!” After the meeting, we corresponded and I began to realize the importance of detecting fluorescent substances found in liquid extracts. From that, it was an easy step just to use laser induced fluorescence as a detector in chromatographic separations. One of the earliest reports appeared in G. J. Diebold and R. N. Zare, “Laser Fluorimetry: Subpicogram Detection of Aflatoxins using High-Pressure Liquid Chromatography”, Science, 1977, 196, 1439–1441.

2. You have achieved an impressive selection of awards during your career, most recently the Wolf Prize in Chemistry earlier this year. Which one is the most important to you and why?

Each award carries with it a special significance as it signifies appreciation from one's peers. I find particularly precious to me the US National Medal of Science, which was awarded in 1983 but not presented until 1985 because it is said that President Ronald Reagan was not happy with how the scientific community was failing to cooperate with his plans to build a shield against attack by guided missiles. I also remember being told in 1999 by Dr Normal Hackerman that I had won the Welch Award in Chemistry for my lifetime contributions to chemistry—to which I replied at once, “I hope you do not mind, but I am planning to continue.”

3. As a significant role model and active teacher to young aspiring physical and analytical chemists, what do you believe to be the most important factors for encouraging a new generation of analytical scientists?

My advice is not to fear failure but accept it as a guidepost along the way to success. You need to be willing to try different things, dare to do what others tell you probably cannot be done. Most things won't work, but some will. At the same time, you also must be your harshest critic while you attempt to create. Pursuit of science and creation in art are not as different as some might imagine.

4. What are your current research interests, and why?

I continue to be a total opportunist, trying to follow any problem that fires my imagination and that makes me believe I have something I can contribute to its solution. It is natural to build upon those things that you already know best, but my attitude is that you can always keep learning and the most fun comes from seeing crazy connections between what seems like disparate fields. A list of current research activities can be found at www.stanford.edu/group/Zarelab. These activities range from studying elementary chemical reactions to trying to determine the chemical composition of cometary dust that hopefully will be returned to us in about a year. In between, we are also looking at the chemical contents of cells, one at a time.

5. If you could make only one revolutionary scientific breakthrough in the future, what would you most like it to be, and why?

I would like to understand the chemical basis for thought and what we call consciousness. To me, this problem seems like one of the ultimate mysteries of the world we live in.

6. Can you tell us a little known fact about yourself?

As a senior in high school, I built a binary computer that was able to multiply, at its height, 3 times 9 to get 27, if its relays (electromechanical switches) did not get stuck. This device, which was about 1.5 m tall and weighed 20 kg, won first prize in the1956 Northeastern Ohio Science Fair. I think that my grandchildren will not be able to believe this, let alone appreciate the effort that went into designing, constructing, and troubleshooting this computer.

7. If you had not become a scientist, what alternative career do you think you would have chosen?

I love working with people in learning situations and I enjoy expressing my thoughts in written form. I wonder if this might not have led to me becoming a teacher.

8. What motivates you in life?

The sense of adventure in tackling new problems and the love of working with people who are doing the same.

9. What would you like to be most remembered for?

My first reaction to this question is to respond, “Sorry, I don't do epitaphs.” I suppose, if pressed, I would say, “For my enthusiasm in exploring the unknown and my encouragement of others to join this grand pursuit.” This question makes me worried that you believe my career is finished. I hope that is not the case.

---