James Wallace Jorgenson is an American academic who previously held the position of William Rand Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is best known for his work developing

capillary zone electrophoresis Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is a family of electrokinetic separation methods performed in submillimeter diameter capillaries and in micro- and nanofluidic channels. Very often, CE refers to capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE), but other electr ...

, and is a member of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...

Early life and education

Jorgenson was born on September 9, 1952, in

Kenosha, Wisconsin Kenosha () is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the seat of Kenosha County. Per the 2020 census, the population was 99,986 which made it the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. Situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, Kenos ...

. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from

Northern Illinois University Northern Illinois University (NIU) is a public research university in DeKalb, Illinois. It was founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895, by Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld as part of an expansion of the state's system ...

in 1974 and a PhD in chemistry from

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

in 1979.

Research interests

Jorgenson's research group is focused on utilizing analytical separation techniques to solve research problems in complex mixture analysis. The group currently focuses on ultra-high pressure capillary

liquid chromatography In chemical analysis, chromatography is a laboratory technique for the Separation process, separation of a mixture into its components. The mixture is dissolved in a fluid solvent (gas or liquid) called the ''mobile phase'', which carries it ...

combined with

mass spectrometry Mass spectrometry (MS) is an analytical technique that is used to measure the mass-to-charge ratio of ions. The results are presented as a ''mass spectrum'', a plot of intensity as a function of the mass-to-charge ratio. Mass spectrometry is use ...

(MS). Jorgenson's research group is best known for their breakthrough in the field of separation sciences, the invention of

capillary electrophoresis Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is a family of electrokinetic separation methods performed in submillimeter diameter capillaries and in micro- and nanofluidic channels. Very often, CE refers to capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE), but other electr ...

(CE). He began his research at UNC Chapel Hill studying electro-osmotically driven chromatography. The development of CE has aided in the advancement of many fields of science, including DNA

sequencing In genetics and biochemistry, sequencing means to determine the primary structure (sometimes incorrectly called the primary sequence) of an unbranched biopolymer. Sequencing results in a symbolic linear depiction known as a sequence which succ ...

, forensic DNA analysis and analysis of intact proteins. CE technology enabled completion of the sequencing of the human genome far ahead of the expected schedule and far below anticipated cost. Jorgenson's research group is also notable for some of the earliest demonstrations of the analysis of the contents of single cells, comprehensive two-dimensional separations, and the invention of ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography. His publications in separation methods have been extensively cited. Jorgenson retired in 2019 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was awarded 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 d ...

Award in Separations Science and Technology.

Honors received

Award in Separations Science and Technology, 2021 *Special issue of the "Journal of Chromatography A" honoring James Jorgenson, November 2017 *Lifetime Achievement Award, LCGC Magazine North America, 2011 *

Award in Analytical Chemistry, 2007 * Elected Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2007 *Lifetime Achievement Award, LCGC Magazine Europe, 2006 *Special issue of the journal "Electrophoresis" dedicated to J. W. Jorgenson, October 2001 *American Chemical Society Award in Chromatography, 1993

Patents

* "Coaxial Flow Post Capillary Mixing", J.W. Jorgenson and D.J. Rose, U.S. Patent No. 4,936,974. * "Microelectrospray Method and Apparatus", J.W. Jorgenson and D.M. Dohmeier, U.S. Patent No. 5,115,131. * "Two-Dimensional High-Performance Liquid Chromatography/Capillary Electrophoresis", J.W. Jorgenson and M.M. Bushey, U.S. Patent No. 5,131,998. * "Two-Dimensional High-Performance Liquid Chromatography/Capillary Electrophoresis", J.W. Jorgenson and M.M. Bushey, U.S. Patent No. 5,240,577. * "Method and Device for High Speed Separation of Complex Molecules", J.W. Jorgenson and C.A. Monnig, U.S. Patent No. 5,269,900. * "Two-Dimensional Separation System", J.W. Jorgenson and A.V. Lemmo, U.S. Patent No. 5,389,221. * "Two-Dimensional Separation System", J.W. Jorgenson and A.V. Lemmo, U.S. Patent No. 5,496,460. * “Sample injector system for liquid chromatography”, Gerhardt; Geoff C., Jorgenson; James W., Fadgen; Keith, U.S. Patent No. 8,173,070

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jorgenson, James 1952 births Living people 21st-century American chemists Indiana University alumni Northern Illinois University alumni People from Kenosha, Wisconsin University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill faculty