Ahmed Zewail
Egyptian-American chemist; Nobel laureate; father of femtochemistry.
- field
- Chemistry, Physics
- nationality
- Egyptian-American
- known_for
- Father of femtochemistry; Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1999)
Lore & Background
Hochstrasser. After postdoctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley, supervised by Charles B. He became a naturalized U.S. Zewail pioneered femtochemistry, using ultrafast laser techniques to study chemical reactions on a femtosecond timescale, allowing analysis of transition states. He also contributed to ultrafast electron diffraction. science envoy to the Muslim world in 2010. During the 2011 Egyptian protests, he returned to Egypt and served as an intermediary between the military regime and revolutionary youth groups.
Reader's Guide
Ahmed Zewail's significance lies in his foundational work in femtochemistry, which opened a new window into the dynamics of chemical reactions at the atomic scale. He also played a role in science diplomacy as a U.S. science envoy and in Egyptian political transition.
Did You Know?
- Ahmed Zewail was the first Egyptian and Arab to win a Nobel Prize in a scientific field.
- He became a naturalized U.S. citizen on March 5, 1982.
- Zewail served on President Barack Obama's Presidential Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
- During the 2011 Egyptian protests, he returned to Egypt and acted as an intermediary between the military regime and revolutionary youth groups.
- He was the first African to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Ahmed Zewail?
Ahmed Hassan Zewail was an Egyptian-American scientist who specialized in chemistry and physics. He is most widely recognized as the pioneer of femtochemistry, a field that studies ultrafast molecular processes.
What is femtochemistry and what role did Zewail play in it?
Femtochemistry is the study of chemical reactions occurring on the timescale of a femtosecond, or one quadrillionth of a second. Zewail developed the techniques that made it possible to observe and track these incredibly brief molecular events, earning him the title 'father of femtochemistry.'
What Nobel Prize did Ahmed Zewail receive and why was it historic?
In 1999 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his groundbreaking femtochemistry research. This made him the first person of Egyptian or Arab heritage to claim a Nobel Prize in any scientific discipline.
Where did Ahmed Zewail hold his academic position?
He spent his career as a professor of chemistry and physics at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). There he occupied the Linus Pauling Chair of Chemical Physics and led the Physical Biology Center for Ultrafast Science and Technology.
When was Ahmed Zewail born and when did he die?
He was born on February 26, 1946, in the town of Damanhur in Egypt, and passed away on August 2, 2016. His life spanned seven decades during which he fundamentally reshaped how scientists observe chemical reactions at the molecular level.
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