Richard James Saykally (born September 10, 1947) is an American chemist. He is currently the Class of 1932 Endowed Professor of Chemistry at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

. He has received numerous awards for his research on the

molecular A molecule is a group of two or more atoms held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions which satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemistry, and bioche ...

characteristics of

water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...

and aqueous solutions.

Biography

Saykally was born in

Rhinelander, Wisconsin Rhinelander is a city in and the county seat of Oneida County, Wisconsin, Oneida County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 8,285 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. History The area that eventually became the city of Rhine ...

and educated at

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

and

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

, where he received his PhD under R. Claude Woods in 1977. Saykally has been a professor at the University of California, Berkeley since 1979 after postgraduate research at the

National Institute of Standards and Technology The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is an agency of the United States Department of Commerce whose mission is to promote American innovation and industrial competitiveness. NIST's activities are organized into physical sci ...

with Kenneth Melvin Evenson. Saykally and his students have pioneered many important advances in

spectroscopy Spectroscopy is the field of study that measures and interprets the electromagnetic spectra that result from the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and matter as a function of the wavelength or frequency of the radiation. Matter wa ...

, including velocity modulation spectroscopy of ions, terahertz laser vibration-rotation-tunneling spectroscopy of clusters, infrared photon counting spectroscopy, cavity ringdown spectroscopy, and

X-ray spectroscopy X-ray spectroscopy is a general term for several spectroscopic techniques for characterization of materials by using x-ray radiation. Characteristic X-ray spectroscopy When an electron from the inner shell of an atom is excited by the energy o ...

of liquid microjets. These have permitted the first detailed study of important textbook molecules, including the hydronium (H₃O⁺), hydroxide (OH⁻) and ammonium (NH₄⁺) ions, as well as small water clusters and carbon clusters. Recent work includes the spectroscopic determination of a universal water force field via the study of water clusters, the development of

femtosecond nonlinear optical molecular imaging A femtosecond is a unit of time in the International System of Units (SI) equal to 10 or of a second; that is, one quadrillionth, or one millionth of one billionth, of a second. For context, a femtosecond is to a second as a second is to about 31. ...

methods applied to single

nanowire laser A nanowire is a nanostructure in the form of a wire with the diameter of the order of a nanometre (10−9 metres). More generally, nanowires can be defined as structures that have a thickness or diameter constrained to tens of nanometers or less ...

s and biological systems, femtosecond Deep UV SHG/SFG studies of liquid

electrolyte An electrolyte is a medium containing ions that is electrically conducting through the movement of those ions, but not conducting electrons. This includes most soluble salts, acids, and bases dissolved in a polar solvent, such as water. Upon dis ...

interfaces, and soft X-ray spectroscopy of liquids and liquid surfaces.

Honors and awards

A co-author of over 400 publications that have been cited over 50,000 times (H index > 100), the recipient of over 75 honors and awards from 15 different countries, Saykally is a member of the

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 ...

and 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 ...

, and in 2004 received the

Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award The Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award was established in 1959 in honor of a scientist who helped elevate American physics to the status of world leader in the field. E. O. Lawrence was the inventor of the cyclotron, an accelerator of subatomic parti ...

from the U.S. Department of Energy, the

Hinshelwood Lectureship Hinshelwood is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Adam Hinshelwood (born 1984), English footballer *Ben Hinshelwood (born 1977), Australian-born Scottish rugby player *Cyril Norman Hinshelwood (1897–1967), English chemist *Danny ...

from

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

and the Inaugural International

Solvay Chair in Chemistry Solvay may refer to: Companies and organizations * Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management, Brussels, Belgium * Solvay Conference, founded by Ernest Solvay, deals with open questions in physics and chemistry * Solvay Indupa, an Argentin ...

from the

Solvay Institutes Solvay may refer to: Companies and organizations * Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management, Brussels, Belgium * Solvay Conference, founded by Ernest Solvay, deals with open questions in physics and chemistry * Solvay Indupa, an Argentin ...

of Belgium. He is a UC-Berkeley Distinguished Teacher, and has been active at the national level in science education. Over 150 students and postdocs have trained under his direction, many of whom hold prominent positions in academic, government, and industrial institutions. * ''Camille and Henry Dreyfus Award'' (1979) *''Presidential Young Investigator Award'' (1984) *named to ''Miller Research Professor Chair'' (1985–1986) *''E. K. Plyler Prize for Molecular Spectroscopy'' (1989) * ''Michelson Prize'' for Spectroscopy (1989) * ''Lippincott Medal'' for Spectroscopy (1992) * ''Berkeley Distinguished Teaching Award'' (1992) *

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 ...

''Harrison Howe Award'' (1992) *

Royal Society of Chemistry The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) is a learned society (professional association) in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemistry, chemical sciences". It was formed in 1980 from the amalgamation of the Chemical Society, the Ro ...

Bourke Award The Bourke Award of the Royal Society of Chemistry is an annual prize open to academics from outside the UK. Originally established by the Faraday Society and known as the Bourke Lectures, the award of £2000 enables experts in physical chemistry or ...

'' (1992) * ''

Churchill Fellowship Winston Churchill Memorial Trusts (WCMT) are three independent but related living memorials to Sir Winston Churchill, based in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. They exist for the purpose of administering Churchill Fellowships, a ...

'' at

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

(1995) * ''Humboldt Senior Scientist Award'' (1995) *named ''Fellow'' of

(1995) *named

Fellow of the American Physical Society The American Physical Society honors members with the designation ''Fellow'' for having made significant accomplishments to the field of physics. The following lists are divided chronologically by the year of designation. * List of American Physic ...

(1989) *named ''Fellow'' of the

Optical Society of America Optica (formerly known as The Optical Society (OSA) and before that as the Optical Society of America) is a professional society of individuals and companies with an interest in optics and photonics. It publishes journals and organizes conference ...

*named

Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry Fellowship of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) is an award conferred by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) in the United Kingdom. FRSC award Achieving Fellow status in the chemical profession denotes to the wider community a high level of ...

*named ''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 ...

(1999) * ''Pittsburgh Spectroscopy Award'' (1999) *'' ACS Irving Langmuir Prize in Chemical Physics'' (2000) *Royal Society of Chemistry's ''Centenary Medal'' (2000) * ''

(2004) * ''Johannes Markus Marci Medal'' (

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

)(2004) *filled the ''Morino Lectureship'' chair (

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

)(2005) *filled the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

''Hinshelwood Lectureship'' chair (2006) *filled the ''Inaugural Solvay Chair in Chemistry'' (

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

)(2008) * ACS ''

Peter Debye Award The Peter Debye Award in Physical Chemistry is awarded annually by the American Chemical Society "to encourage and reward outstanding research in physical chemistry". The award is named after Peter Debye and granted without regard to age or natio ...

'' in Physical Chemistry (2009) * ''Golden Jubilee Thematic Lectures'' (Indian Institute for Technology, Delhi) (2011) * ''Morris Travers Lectures'' (Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore) (2011) * ''J. C. Bose Memorial Lectures'' (Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata) (2011) * ''Royal Society of Chemistry Faraday Lectureship Prize'' (2012) *delivered the ''W. A. Noyes Distinguished Lecture in Physical Chemistry'' (University of Texas, Austin) (2013) *delivered the ''CaSTL (Chemistry at the Space-Time Limit) Lecture'' (University of California, Irvine) (2014) * ''E. Roger Washburn Memorial Lectureship in Physical Chemistry'' (University of Nebraska) (2016) *named ''Keynote Speaker NANOLYTICA'' (Simon Fraser University) (2017) * ''E. Bright Wilson Award in Spectroscopy'' (American Chemical Society) (2017) *received the ''Jean Dreyfus Lectureship'' (Hobart and William Smith Colleges) (2018) *delivered the ''BESE Distinguished Lecture'' (KAUST, Saudi Arabia) (2018) * ''SCS Lectureship'' (Swiss Chemical Society) (2018) *''Helmholtz International Fellowship Award'' (Helmholtz Society, Berlin) (2018) * ''Inaugural Claude and Janice Trottier Endowed Lectureship'' (University of Rhode Island) (2019) *''The Cross Lecture in Physical Chemistry'' (University of Washington) (2021)

Current research interests

As of 2019, Saykally's active research includes: * Terahertz

laser spectroscopy Spectroscopy is the field of study that measures and interprets the electromagnetic spectra that result from the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and matter as a function of the wavelength or frequency of the radiation. Matter wa ...

of clusters *

of liquids and interfaces *Nonlinear optical spectroscopy of liquids and interfaces *Chemical interactions on liquid surfaces *X-ray laser nonlinear optical spectroscopy

References

External links

Saykally Group Website
*

UC Berkeley College of Chemistry The UC Berkeley College of Chemistry is one of 14 schools and colleges at the University of California, Berkeley. It houses the departments of Chemistry, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and Chemical Biology and occupies six buildings flan ...

Listing fo
Richard J. Saykally
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saykally, Richard J American physical chemists UC Berkeley College of Chemistry faculty 1947 births Living people University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire alumni Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Spectroscopists Faraday Lecturers People from Rhinelander, Wisconsin Fellows of the American Physical Society