Contents
Ahmed Zewail
Using ultrafast laser pulses to observe chemical bonds breaking and forming.
Femtochemistry · Nobel Prize 1999
- Born
- 26 February 1946
- Birthplace
- Damanhur, Egypt
- Died
- 2 August 2016
More people
Ahmed Zewail
Ahmed Zewail was an Egyptian-American chemist who helped make the fleeting stages of chemical reactions observable. His work established femtochemistry and earned the 1999 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Early life
Egyptian upbringing
Born in Damanhur and raised in Desouk, he developed an early enthusiasm for chemistry.
Across the Atlantic
Studied at Alexandria University before completing a doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania.
Career
- 1976
Caltech laboratory
Joined the California Institute of Technology after postdoctoral research at Berkeley.
- 1980s
Ultrafast chemistry
Developed experiments using extremely short laser pulses to track molecular change.
- 1999
Chemistry Nobel
Received the prize for studying transition states in chemical reactions.
- 2011
Education in Egypt
Helped establish Zewail City of Science and Technology.
Contributions
Femtochemistry
Followed reactions on the timescale of molecular motion.
Femtochemistry volumes
Collected research on ultrafast molecular dynamics.
Voyage Through Time
Combined his personal story with reflections on science and society.
Beyond the lab
Science diplomacy
Served as a United States science envoy, promoting international scientific cooperation.
Zewail City
Advocated a research and education institution in Egypt to develop scientific talent.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Nobel Prize biography and award ↗Photo: Douglas A. Lockard. CC BY-SA 3.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
