Mark S. Wrighton
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| Mark S. Wrighton | |
| Washington University in St. Louis | |
|---|---|
| Term | 1995 – present |
| Predecessor | William "Bill" H. Danforth |
| Born | 1949 Jacksonville, Florida |
| Alma mater | Florida State University California Institute of Technology |
| Profession | Professor of Chemistry |
Mark Stephen Wrighton (born 1949) is an American academic, a chemist, and the current Chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis. Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Wrighton received his B.S. in Chemistry from Florida State University in 1969. While at Florida State, he won the Monsanto Chemistry Award for outstanding research. He received his Ph.D at the California Institute of Technology, working under Harry B. Gray and George S. Hammond. His doctoral dissertation subject was Photoprocesses in Metal-Containing Molecules. He graduated from Caltech in 1972.
Wrighton joined the faculty of the chemistry department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the fall of 1972 as an assistant professor. In 1976, he was promoted to associate professor and was made a full professor the following year. Wrighton held the Frederick G. Keyes Chair in Chemistry from from 1981 to 1989, when he was given the newly endowed Ciba-Geigy Chair in Chemistry.
In 1987, Wrighton became the head of MIT's chemistry department. He became MIT's provost in 1990. In 1995, Wrighton had the honor of giving the commencement address at Caltech. That same year, he left MIT to become chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis.
Wrighton's research interests are centered around photochemistry and metal catalysts. He has written more than 300 journal articles and holds 14 patents. During his time at MIT, Wrighton supervised the doctoral research of more than 70 students.
In early 2007 Wrighton had been mentioned as a candidate for Harvard University's Presidency. Committee members noted Wrighton's past experience as a chemist as a factor in including him on their list. The committee chose Drew Gilpin Faust to replace Derek Bok instead.
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[edit] Criticisms
Although generally regarded as an effective administration and chancellor, he has faced some criticism from student publications for not spending enough time interacting with students.[1] Conservative students also heavily criticized Wrighton, for his use of university letterhead to endorse the Missouri proposition on stem cell research.
[edit] Awards and honors
- 1969 Monsanto Chemistry Award (Florida State)
- 1972 Herbert Newby McCoy Award (Caltech)
- 1974 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship
- 1981
- Pure Chemistry Award of the American Chemical Society
- MIT Chemistry Department Graduate Teaching Award
- 1983
- Honorary Doctor of Science at the University of West Florida
- MacArthur Fellowship
- George and Freda Halpern Award in Photochemistry from the New York Academy of Sciences
- Ernest O. Lawrence Award from the U.S. Department of Energy
- 1984 Fresenius Award of Phi Lambda Upsilon
- 1987 MIT School of Science Teaching Prize
- 1988 Award in Inorganic Chemistry of the American Chemical Society
- 1992 Distinguished Alumni Award (Caltech)
- 2002 Honorary Professorship at Shandong University (Jinan, China)
[edit] Fellowships and appointments
- Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (since 1988)
- Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (since 1986)
- Member of the American Philosophical Society (since 2001)
- Presidential Appointee to the National Science Board (2000-2006)
- Member of the Board of Overseers of the Boston Museum of Science (1991-1997)
- Member of the Corporation of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (1991-1995)
- Member of the Corporation of the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory (1994-1996)
- Member of the Board of Directors of the Chemical Heritage Foundation (1998-2002)
- Trustee of the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (1998-2002)
- Member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (2002-2005)
- Member of the Chemistry Research Evaluation Panel of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (1976-1980)
- Trustee of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
[edit] Notable students
- Caltech professor Nate Lewis
- Cornell professor Peter Wolczanski
[edit] External links
- Mark S. Wrighton - Washington University in St. Louis
- Wrighton, Mark S. "Photoprocesses in Metal-Containing Molecules".
Abstract of doctoral dissertation
| Preceded by John M. Deutch |
Provost of MIT 1990 - 1995 |
Succeeded by Joel C. Moses |
| Preceded by William "Bill" H. Danforth |
Chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis 1995– |
Succeeded by None |
