W. E. Moerner
Encyclopedia
William Esco Moerner was born in 1953 in Pleasanton, California, and grew up in San Antonio, Texas. He received his B.S.
in Physics with Top Honors, B.S.
in Electrical Engineering with Top Honors, and his A.B. in Mathematics summa cum laude from Washington University in St. Louis
in 1975 followed by his M.S.
and Ph.D.
in Physics from Cornell University
in 1978 and 1982, respectively. His positions include: Research Staff Member and Manager at IBM Research in San Jose, California from 1981 to 1995; Visiting Guest Professor at ETH Zürich from 1993 to 1994; Distinguished Professor of Physical Chemistry at The University of California, San Diego from 1995 to 1998; Robert B. Woodward Visiting Professor at Harvard University in winter 1997-1998; and Professor of Chemistry at Stanford University from 1998 to the present.
Professor Moerner is credited with achieving the first optical detection and spectroscopy of a single molecule in condensed phases, along with his postdoc, Lothar Kador. Optical study of single molecules has subsequently become a widely used single-molecule experiment in chemistry, physics, and biology. Professor Moerner has received the Roger I. Wilkinson National Outstanding Young Electrical Engineer Award (1984), the Earle K. Plyler Prize from the American Physical Society (2001), Fellowships in the American Physical Society, Optical Society of America, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Membership in the National Academy of Sciences (2007), the Wolf Prize in Chemistry
(2008), and the Irving Langmuir Prize in Chemical Physics (2009).
Professor Moerner is currently the Harry S. Mosher Professor at Stanford University
in the Chemistry Department, with a courtesy appointment in Applied Physics. Areas of research and interest include: single-molecule spectroscopy and imaging, physical chemistry
, chemical physics
, biophysics
, nanophotonics
, and nanoparticle trapping. For more details, see the Moerner Laboratory homepage.
Although born in California, W.E. Moerner grew up in Texas, which, as he says, explains why his parents referred to him by his initials from birth to distinguish him from his father and grandfather, also both named William. In honor/memory of his parents, he continues to use initials. His formal name is William Esco Moerner.
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in Physics with Top Honors, B.S.
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in Electrical Engineering with Top Honors, and his A.B. in Mathematics summa cum laude from 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...
in 1975 followed by his M.S.
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
and Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in Physics from Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
in 1978 and 1982, respectively. His positions include: Research Staff Member and Manager at IBM Research in San Jose, California from 1981 to 1995; Visiting Guest Professor at ETH Zürich from 1993 to 1994; Distinguished Professor of Physical Chemistry at The University of California, San Diego from 1995 to 1998; Robert B. Woodward Visiting Professor at Harvard University in winter 1997-1998; and Professor of Chemistry at Stanford University from 1998 to the present.
Professor Moerner is credited with achieving the first optical detection and spectroscopy of a single molecule in condensed phases, along with his postdoc, Lothar Kador. Optical study of single molecules has subsequently become a widely used single-molecule experiment in chemistry, physics, and biology. Professor Moerner has received the Roger I. Wilkinson National Outstanding Young Electrical Engineer Award (1984), the Earle K. Plyler Prize from the American Physical Society (2001), Fellowships in the American Physical Society, Optical Society of America, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Membership in the National Academy of Sciences (2007), the Wolf Prize in Chemistry
Wolf Prize in Chemistry
The Wolf Prize in Chemistry is awarded once a year by the Wolf Foundation in Israel. It is one of the six Wolf Prizes established by the Foundation and awarded since 1978; the others are in Agriculture, Mathematics, Medicine, Physics and Arts.-Laureates:...
(2008), and the Irving Langmuir Prize in Chemical Physics (2009).
Professor Moerner is currently the Harry S. Mosher Professor at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in the Chemistry Department, with a courtesy appointment in Applied Physics. Areas of research and interest include: single-molecule spectroscopy and imaging, physical chemistry
Physical chemistry
Physical chemistry is the study of macroscopic, atomic, subatomic, and particulate phenomena in chemical systems in terms of physical laws and concepts...
, chemical physics
Chemical physics
Chemical physics is a subdiscipline of chemistry and physics that investigates physicochemical phenomena using techniques from atomic and molecular physics and condensed matter physics; it is the branch of physics that studies chemical processes from the point of view of physics...
, biophysics
Biophysics
Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that uses the methods of physical science to study biological systems. Studies included under the branches of biophysics span all levels of biological organization, from the molecular scale to whole organisms and ecosystems...
, nanophotonics
Nanophotonics
Nanophotonics or Nano-optics is the study of the behavior of light on the nanometer scale. It is considered as a branch of optical engineering which deals with optics, or the interaction of light with particles or substances, at deeply subwavelength length scales...
, and nanoparticle trapping. For more details, see the Moerner Laboratory homepage.
Although born in California, W.E. Moerner grew up in Texas, which, as he says, explains why his parents referred to him by his initials from birth to distinguish him from his father and grandfather, also both named William. In honor/memory of his parents, he continues to use initials. His formal name is William Esco Moerner.