Mark S. Wrighton
Encyclopedia
Mark Stephen Wrighton 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 age of 22 from 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 1981 to 1989, when he was given the newly endowed Ciba-Geigy Chair in Chemistry.
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 1987, Wrighton became the head of MIT's chemistry department. He became MIT's provost
in 1990. In 1995, he left MIT to become chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis
. He is among the highest paid university heads in the United States, making $738,000 in 2007. In early 2007 Wrighton was mentioned as a candidate for Harvard University
's presidency.
students for his use of university letterhead to endorse the Missouri proposition on stem cell research. Wrighton was also criticized in May 2008 when the university's Board of Trustees voted to honor alumna Phyllis Schlafly
with an honorary doctorate, which led to outrage by liberals
opposed to her stands on gender issues and by many other members of the university community because of her disbelief in evolution. Wrighton distanced himself from the board's decision with a letter to the community disavowing Schlafly's views on science.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
academic, a chemist
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
, and the current Chancellor
Chancellor (education)
A chancellor or vice-chancellor is the chief executive of a university. Other titles are sometimes used, such as president or rector....
of Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
. Born in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, Wrighton received his B.S. in Chemistry from Florida State University
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
in 1969. While at Florida State, he won the Monsanto Chemistry Award for outstanding research. He received his Ph.D at the age of 22 from the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
, working under Harry B. Gray
Harry B. Gray
Harry Barkus Gray is the Arnold O. Beckman Professor of Chemistry at California Institute of Technology. He won the Priestley Medal in 1991, Harvey Prize in 2000, The Benjamin Franklin Medal in Chemistry in 2004, and the Wolf Prize in Chemistry in 2004.-Career:Gray received his B.S...
and George S. Hammond
George S. Hammond
George S. Hammond was a chemist at Iowa State University and the California Institute of Technology. Among his awards were the Norris Award in 1968 and the Priestley Medal in 1976 and the National Medal of Science in 1994...
. 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
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
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 1981 to 1989, when he was given the newly endowed Ciba-Geigy Chair in Chemistry.
Wrighton's research interests are centered around photochemistry
Photochemistry
Photochemistry, a sub-discipline of chemistry, is the study of chemical reactions that proceed with the absorption of light by atoms or molecules.. Everyday examples include photosynthesis, the degradation of plastics and the formation of vitamin D with sunlight.-Principles:Light is a type of...
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 1987, Wrighton became the head of MIT's chemistry department. He became MIT's provost
Provost (education)
A provost is the senior academic administrator at many institutions of higher education in the United States, Canada and Australia, the equivalent of a pro-vice-chancellor at some institutions in the United Kingdom and Ireland....
in 1990. In 1995, he left MIT to become chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
. He is among the highest paid university heads in the United States, making $738,000 in 2007. In early 2007 Wrighton was mentioned as a candidate for Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
's presidency.
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 SocietyAmerican Chemical SocietyThe American Chemical Society is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 161,000 members at all degree-levels and in all fields of chemistry, chemical...
- MIT Chemistry Department Graduate Teaching Award
- Pure Chemistry Award of the American Chemical Society
- 1983
- Honorary Doctor of Science at the University of West FloridaUniversity of West FloridaThe University of West Florida, also known as West Florida and UWF, is a mid-sized public university located in Pensacola, Florida, United States. UWF is a member institution of the State University System of Florida. The University of West Florida is a Research University, which specializes in...
- MacArthur Fellowship
- George and Freda Halpern Award in Photochemistry from the New York Academy of SciencesNew York Academy of SciencesThe New York Academy of Sciences is the third oldest scientific society in the United States. An independent, non-profit organization with more than members in 140 countries, the Academy’s mission is to advance understanding of science and technology...
- Ernest O. Lawrence Award from the U.S. Department of Energy
- Honorary Doctor of Science at the University of West Florida
- 1984 Fresenius Award of Phi Lambda UpsilonPhi Lambda UpsilonPhi Lambda Upsilon National Honorary Chemical SocietyFounded in 1899 at the Noyes Laboratory of the University of Illinois. Phi Lambda Upsilon was the first honor society dedicated to scholarship in a single discipline, chemistry.-Objectives:...
- 1987 MIT School of Science Teaching Prize
- 1988 Award in Inorganic Chemistry of the American Chemical SocietyAmerican Chemical SocietyThe American Chemical Society is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 161,000 members at all degree-levels and in all fields of chemistry, chemical...
- 1992 Distinguished Alumni Award (Caltech)
- 2002 Honorary Professorship at Shandong UniversityShandong UniversityShandong University is a public comprehensive university in Shandong, China. It is one of the largest universities in China by student population and is supported directly by the national government....
(Jinan, China) - 2007 Honorary Doctorate Degree- Doctor of Humane LettersDoctor of Humane LettersThe degree of Doctor of Humane Letters is always conferred as an honorary degree, usually to those who have distinguished themselves in areas other than science, government, literature or religion, which are awarded degrees of Doctor of Science, Doctor of Laws, Doctor of Letters, or Doctor of...
Florida State UniversityFlorida State UniversityThe Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
(Tallahassee, FloridaTallahassee, FloridaTallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
)
Fellowships and appointments
- Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and SciencesAmerican Academy of Arts and SciencesThe American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
(since 1988) - Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of ScienceAmerican Association for the Advancement of ScienceThe American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
(since 1986) - Member of the American Philosophical SocietyAmerican Philosophical SocietyThe American Philosophical Society, founded in 1743, and located in Philadelphia, Pa., is an eminent scholarly organization of international reputation, that promotes useful knowledge in the sciences and humanities through excellence in scholarly research, professional meetings, publications,...
(since 2001) - Presidential Appointee to the National Science BoardNational Science BoardThe National Science Board of the United States is composed of 25 members appointed by the President and confirmed by the United States Senate, representing the broad U.S. science and engineering community. The Board establishes the policies of the National Science Foundation within the framework...
(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 InstitutionWoods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionThe Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a private, nonprofit research and higher education facility dedicated to the study of all aspects of marine science and engineering and to the education of marine researchers. Established in 1930, it is the largest independent oceanographic research...
(1991–1995) - Member of the Corporation of the Charles Stark Draper LaboratoryCharles Stark Draper LaboratoryDraper Laboratory is an American not-for-profit research and development organization in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Draper focuses on the design, development, and deployment of advanced technology solutions to problems in national security, space exploration, health care and energy.Originally...
(1994–1996) - Member of the Board of Directors of the Chemical Heritage FoundationChemical Heritage FoundationThe Chemical Heritage Foundation is a library, museum, and archive in Philadelphia that was founded in 1982. Its founding president was Arnold Thackray, who was winner of the Dexter Award in 1983, and who continued to serve as president thru 2009....
(1998–2002) - Trustee of the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and SchoolsNorth Central Association of Colleges and SchoolsThe North Central Association of Colleges and Schools , also known as the North Central Association, is a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states, that is engaged in educational accreditation...
(1998–2002) - Member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Independent Colleges and UniversitiesNational Association of Independent Colleges and UniversitiesFounded in 1976, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities is an organization of private US 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 CenterDonald Danforth Plant Science CenterThe Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is a not-for-profit scientific facility located in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Its main mission point is to "improve the human condition through plant science"....
Criticisms
He has faced some criticism from student publications for not spending enough time interacting with students. Wrighton was heavily criticised by conservativeSocial conservatism
Social Conservatism is primarily a political, and usually morally influenced, ideology that focuses on the preservation of what are seen as traditional values. Social conservatism is a form of authoritarianism often associated with the position that the federal government should have a greater role...
students for his use of university letterhead to endorse the Missouri proposition on stem cell research. Wrighton was also criticized in May 2008 when the university's Board of Trustees voted to honor alumna Phyllis Schlafly
Phyllis Schlafly
Phyllis McAlpin Stewart Schlafly is a Constitutional lawyer and an American politically conservative activist and author who founded the Eagle Forum. She is known for her opposition to modern feminism ideas and for her campaign against the proposed Equal Rights Amendment...
with an honorary doctorate, which led to outrage by liberals
Social liberalism
Social liberalism is the belief that liberalism should include social justice. It differs from classical liberalism in that it believes the legitimate role of the state includes addressing economic and social issues such as unemployment, health care, and education while simultaneously expanding...
opposed to her stands on gender issues and by many other members of the university community because of her disbelief in evolution. Wrighton distanced himself from the board's decision with a letter to the community disavowing Schlafly's views on science.
External links
- Mark S. Wrighton - Washington University in St. Louis
Abstract of doctoral dissertation