William Esco Moerner (born June 24, 1953) is an American physical chemist and

chemical physicist 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 process ...

with current work in the biophysics and imaging of single molecules. He is credited with achieving the first optical detection and spectroscopy of a single molecule in

condensed phase Condensed matter physics is the field of physics that deals with the macroscopic and microscopic physical properties of matter, especially the solid and liquid phases which arise from electromagnetic forces between atoms. More generally, the sub ...

s, 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. In 2014, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry."Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2014." ''Nobelprize.org''
(accessed October 8, 2014).
''Stanford Report'', October 8, 2014 (accessed October 8, 2014). Bacteria-3D-Double-Helix

Early life and education

Moerner was born in Pleasanton, California, in 1953 June 24 the son of Bertha Frances (Robinson) and William Alfred Moerner. He was a boy scout, with the Boy Scouts of America and became an Eagle Scout. He attended Washington University in St. Louis for undergraduate studies as an Alexander S. Langsdorf Engineering Fellow, and obtained three degrees: a B.S. in physics with Final Honors, a B.S. in

electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

with Final Honors, and an A.B. in

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

'' in 1975.Engineering Alumni Achievement Award, Washington University, 2013
(accessed May 1, 2014). This was followed by graduate study, partially supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, at Cornell University in the group of Albert J. Sievers III. Here he received an M.S. degree and a Ph.D. degree in physics in 1978 and 1982, respectively. His doctoral thesis was on vibrational relaxation dynamics of an IR-laser-excited molecular impurity mode in alkali halide lattices. Throughout his school years, Moerner was a straight A student from 1963 to 1982, and won both the Dean's Award for Unusually Exceptional Academic Achievement as well as the Ethan A. H. Shepley Award for Outstanding Achievement when he graduated from college.Kan, L., & Lin, S. H. (2011).
Wolf Prize in chemistry : an epitome of chemistry in 20th century and beyond
'. Singapore: World Scientific. p. 556.

Career and work

Moerner worked at the IBM Almaden Research Center in San Jose, California, as a Research Staff Member from 1981 to 1988, a Manager from 1988 to 1989, and Project Leader from 1989 to 1995. After an appointment as Visiting Guest Professor of Physical Chemistry at

ETH Zurich (colloquially) , former_name = eidgenössische polytechnische Schule , image = ETHZ.JPG , image_size = , established = , type = Public , budget = CHF 1.896 billion (2021) , rector = Günther Dissertori , president = Joël Mesot , ac ...

(1993–1994), he assumed the Distinguished Chair in Physical Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of California, San Diego, from 1995 to 1998. In 1997 he was named the Robert Burns Woodward Visiting Professor at Harvard University. His research group moved to

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

in 1998 where he became Professor of Chemistry (1998), Harry S. Mosher Professor (2003), and Professor, by courtesy, of Applied Physics (2005).Stanford University. Department of Chemistry. Faculty. W. E. Moerner.
(accessed May 15, 2014). Moerner was appointed Department Chair for Chemistry from 2011 to 2014.W. E. Moerner , Stanford University Profiles
(accessed May 15, 2014). His current areas of research and interest include: single-molecule spectroscopy and super-resolution microscopy, physical chemistry, chemical physics, biophysics, nanoparticle trapping, nanophotonics, photorefractive polymers, and spectral hole-burning. As of May 2014, Moerner was listed as a faculty advisor in 26 theses written by Stanford graduate students. As of May 16, 2014, there are 386 publications listed in Moerner's full CV.Full CV for W. E. (William Esco) Moerner
(accessed May 15, 2014). Recent editorial and advisory boards Moerner has served on include: Member of the Board of Scientific Counselors for the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB); Advisory Board Member for the Institute of Atomic and Molecular Sciences, Academica Sinica, Taiwan; Advisory Editorial Board Member for Chemical Physics Letters; Advisory Board Member for the Center for Biomedical Imaging at Stanford.; and Chair of the Stanford University Health and Safety Committee.

Awards and honors

Moerner is the recipient of a number of awards and honors. They include: National Winner of the Outstanding Young Professional Award for 1984, from the electrical engineering honorary society, Eta Kappa Nu, April 22, 1985; IBM Outstanding Technical Achievement Award for Photon-Gated Spectral Hole-Burning, July 11, 1988; IBM Outstanding Technical Achievement Award for Single-Molecule Detection and Spectroscopy, November 22, 1992;

Earle K. Plyler Prize for Molecular Spectroscopy The Earle K. Plyler Prize for Molecular Spectroscopy and Dynamics is a prize that has been awarded annually by the American Physical Society since 1977. The recipient is chosen for "''notable contributions to the field of molecular spectroscopy an ...

American Physical Society The American Physical Society (APS) is a not-for-profit membership organization of professionals in physics and related disciplines, comprising nearly fifty divisions, sections, and other units. Its mission is the advancement and diffusion of k ...

, 2001; Wolf Prize in Chemistry, 2008;

Irving Langmuir Award The Irving Langmuir Prize in Chemical Physics is awarded annually, in even years by the American Chemical Society and in odd years by the American Physical Society. The award is meant to recognize and encourage outstanding interdisciplinary resear ...

in Chemical Physics,

, 2009; Pittsburgh Spectroscopy Award, 2012; Peter Debye Award in Physical Chemistry, American Chemical Society, 2013; the Engineering Alumni Achievement Award, Washington University, 2013; and the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 2014. Moerner also holds more than a dozen patents. His honorary memberships include Senior Member, IEEE, June 17, 1988, and Member,

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 ...

, 2007. He is also a Fellow of the Optical Society of America, May 28, 1992; the

, November 16, 1992; the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2001; and the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...

, 2004.

Personal life

Moerner was born on June 24, 1953, at Parks Air Force Base in Pleasanton, California. From birth, his family called him by his initials W. E. as a way to distinguish him from his father and grandfather who are also named William. He grew up in Texas where he attended Thomas Jefferson High School in San Antonio. He participated in many activities during high school: Band, Speech and Debate, Math and Science Contest Team, Bi-Phy-Chem, Masque and Gavel, National Honor Society, Boy Scouts, Amateur Radio Club, Russian Club, Forum Social Club, Toastmasters, "On the Spot" Team and Editor of Each has Spoken. Moerner and his wife, Sharon, have one son, Daniel.''Thomas Jefferson High School Alumni Association - Blog: Mustang Spotlight'' on W. E. Moerner '71
(retrieved September 16, 2013).isad

References

External links

* Chemistry Tree
William E. Moerner Details

W. E. Moerner Laboratory Homepage at Stanford University

W. E. Moerner Profile at Stanford University

Google Scholar Profile for W. E. Moerner

Microsoft Academic Search pagefor W. E. Moerner
*

List of Nobel laureates affiliated with Washington University in St. Louis This list of Nobel laureates affiliated with Washington University in St. Louis as alumni or faculty comprehensively shows alumni (graduates and attendees) or faculty members (professors of various ranks, researchers, and visiting lecturers or pro ...

Description of Moerner's work
Alumni Alumni Achievement Award from Washington University * {{DEFAULTSORT:Moerner, William Esco People from San Antonio Jefferson High School (San Antonio, Texas) alumni Cornell University alumni Stanford University Department of Chemistry faculty 1953 births Living people Washington University in St. Louis alumni Wolf Prize in Chemistry laureates Spectroscopists Microscopists Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences American physical chemists American Nobel laureates Nobel laureates in Chemistry Nobel laureates affiliated with Missouri Fellows of the Optical Society Fellows of the American Physical Society Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science American people of German descent People from Los Altos, California Washington University physicists Washington University in St. Louis mathematicians Stanford University faculty University of California, San Diego faculty Chemical physicists