Chemist. Major affiliations include: Georg-August Universitt̃ zu Gt̲tingen, Germany (1903-1906); Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ (1906-1909); and General Electric, Schenectady, NY (1909-1950). He was the first industrial scientist to be awarded a Nobel Prize, for his work in surface chemistry, in 1932. His notable achievements include major improvements to the incandescent lamp, the coiled filament and gas-filled lamp; plasma physics; and the development of high vacuum tubes.