Gordon G. Hammes (born 1934 in
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin) is a distinguished service professor of
biochemistry
Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...
, emeritus, at
Duke University, professor emeritus at
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...
, and member of
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...
. Hammes' research involves the study of
enzyme
Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products ...
mechanisms and enzyme regulation.
Early life and education
Hammes was born in
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin in 1934. He earned his B.A. from
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...
in 1956 and his Ph.D. from the
University of Wisconsin-Madison
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...
in 1959.
Career
Hammes conducted postdoctoral research with
Manfred Eigen
Manfred Eigen (; 9 May 1927 – 6 February 2019) was a German biophysical chemist who won the 1967 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for work on measuring fast chemical reactions.
Eigen's research helped solve major problems in physical chemistry and ...
at the
Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry
The Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry (german: Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie), also known as the Karl-Friedrich Bonhoeffer Institute (german: Karl-Friedrich-Bonhoeffer-Institut), was a research institute of the Ma ...
in
Göttingen, Germany. He then secured a faculty position at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
before moving to
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...
in 1965, where he was professor and chair of the department of chemistry. At Cornell University, he was the Horace White Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, as well the director and co-founder of the Cornell University Biotechnology Program. He spent some time at the
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduates and 2,983 graduate students enrolled in 2021–2022. It is part of the U ...
as vice-chancellor for academic affairs, and then joined the biochemistry faculty at Duke University in 1991.
He served as vice chancellor of academic affairs at the Duke University Medical Center from 1991 through 1998.
Hammes was editor-in-chief of the
American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society (ACS) 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 155,000 members at all ...
journal ''
Biochemistry
Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...
'' from 1992 until 2003, and president of the
American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) is a learned society that was founded on December 26, 1906, at a meeting organized by John Jacob Abel ( Johns Hopkins University). The roots of the society were in the American Ph ...
starting in 1994.
The Gordon Hammes ACS Biochemistry Lectureship was established in 2009 in order to honor significant contributions to the field of biochemistry.
Rsearch papers
Dr. Hammes is a world leader in the field of enzyme mechanisms and regulation, starting with work with Eigen on the temperature-jump technique
and with
Robert Alberty on relaxation spectra. He studied the kinetic behavior of various enzymes, including glutamate-aspartate transaminase, hexokinase, and ribonuclease. He developed new methodologies that allowed a better understanding of enzyme catalysis, including fast reaction techniques,
fluorescence spectroscopy, and single molecule microscopy.
He was also one of the first to develop fluorescence energy transfer (FRET) as a technology to study distances between and within proteins.
His work revolutionized the understanding of conformational changes and multiple intermediates in enzyme catalysis. Dr. Hammes has published more than 250 scientific articles.
Books
Books written by Hammes include the following:
::''Thermodynamics and Kinetics for the Biological Sciences'' (2000)
::''Spectroscopy for the Biological Sciences'' (2005)
::''Physical Chemistry for the Biological Sciences'' (2015) with his daughter
Sharon Hammes-Schiffer
Awards and distinctions
*1956 – McKay Prize in Chemistry
*1967 – American Chemical Society Award in Biological Chemistry
*1967 –
Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry
The Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry was established in 1934. Consisting of a bronze medal and honorarium, its purpose is to stimulate fundamental research in biological chemistry by scientists not over thirty-eight years of age. The Award i ...
*2002 – American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
William C. Rose Award
The William C. Rose Award given by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology recognizes outstanding contributions to biochemical and molecular biological research and a demonstrated commitment to the training of younger scientists ...
*2008 – American Chemical Society Biochemistry Lectureship, Scholarship Award created in 2016
*2009 – Vallee Foundation board of directors
Other accomplishments
*2009 – Slew Hester Male Player of the Year, United States Tennis Association, Southern
*2009 – Walt Stamer Senior Male Tennis Player of the Year, United States Tennis Association, North Carolina
*2016 – Captain, USA Team, Gardner Mulloy Cup World Team Champions
*2017 – Member, USA Team, Gardner Mulloy Cup World Team Champions
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hammes, Gordon
1934 births
Living people
Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences
21st-century American chemists
Cornell University faculty
Duke University faculty
People from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Princeton University alumni
University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni