Alan J. Heeger

Biography

Abstract

Alan J. Heeger is Professor of Physics and Materials at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Other institutional affiliations include UNIAX Corporation and the University of Pennsylvania. His research interests include semiconducting and metallic polymers.

Important Dates

January 22, 1936Birth, Sioux City (Iowa).

1957Obtained BS, University of Nebraska, Lincoln (Neb.).

1961Obtained PhD in Physics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley (Calif.).

1961 – 1962Research Associate in Physics, University of California, Berkeley.

1962 – 1982Assistant Professor of Physics (1962-1964); Associate Professor of Physics (1964-1967); Professor of Physics (1967-1982); Director, Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter (1974-1981); and Acting Vice-Provost for Research (1981-1982), University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia (Pa.).

1968Fellow, American Physical Society.

1968 – 1969Guggenheim Fellow and Visiting Professor of Physics, University of Geneva.

1973 – 1976Member, Board of Trustees, Aspen Center for Physics.

1982 – presentProfessor of Physics (1982-present); Professor of Materials (1987-present); and Director, Institute for Polymers and Organic Solids (1982-1999), University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara (Calif.).

1983Awarded Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize, American Physical Society.

1988 – presentAdjunct Professor of Physics, University of Utah.

1990 – presentFounder and President (1990-1994) and Chief Scientist and Chair, Board of Directors (1994-present), UNIAX Corporation, Santa Barbara (Calif.).

2000Awarded Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Alan G. MacDiarmid and Hideki Shirakawa "for the discovery and development of conductive polymers".

2000 – 2005Member, Board of Directors, Ensemble Theatre Group, Santa Barbara.

2001Member, National Academy of Sciences.

Occupation

Polymer chemist.

Places

Birth

Sioux City (Iowa)

Undergraduate Education

Lincoln (Neb.)

Graduate Education

Berkeley (Calif.)

Employment

Philadelphia (Pa.)

Santa Barbara (Calif.)

Subjects

Biosensors.

Field-effect transistors.

Molecular electronics.

Nuclear spin.

Physical chemistry.

Polymer chemistry.

Polymers.

Semiconductors.

Relationships

People

Family

Heeger, Gerald

Brother.

Heeger, Ruth

Wife.

Advisors & Collaborators

Adams, Jonathan D.

Advised by Heeger at University of California, Santa Barbara, "Exploiting micro-scale magnetic and acoustic phenomena in microfluidic devices for cell sorting applications."

Chaikin, Paul M.

Advised by Heeger at University of Pennsylvania, "Probing Many Body Effects with Superconductivity."

Coates, Nelson E.

Advised by Heeger at University of California, Santa Barbara, "Solution-Processed Semiconductor Films: Fabrication and Optoelectronic Properties."

Cowan, Sarah R.

Advised by Heeger at University of California, Santa Barbara, "Charge Recombination and Transport Dynamics in Organic Solar Cells."

Granstrom, Jimmy E.

Advised by Heeger at University of California, Santa Barbara, "Multilayer barrier films comprising nitrogen spacers between free-standing barrier layers."

Gupta, Rahul K.

Advised by Heeger at University of California, Santa Barbara, "Thin-film Foerster-transfer-based conjugated polymer blend lasers and light emitting diodes."

Ma, Wanli

Advised by Heeger at University of California, Santa Barbara, "Morphology of bulk heterojunction materials in polymer based solar cells."

MacDiarmid, Alan G., 1927-2007

Shared the 2000 Nobel Prize in Chemistry along with Hideki Shirakawa "for the discovery and development of conductive polymers."

Moon, Ji S.

Advised by Heeger at University of California, Santa Barbara, "Morphology Studies of Polymer Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells."

Portis, Alan M., 1926-

PhD advisor at University of California, Berkeley, "Studies on the Magnetic Properties of Canted Antiferromagnets."

Robinson, Matthew R.

Advised by Heeger at University of California, Santa Barbara, "New materials for organic light-emitting diodes."

Schwartz, Benjamin J.

Advised by Heeger at University of California, Santa Barbara, "Femtosecond laser spectroscopies and mixed quantum/classical molecular dynamics simulations."

Shirakawa, Hideki, 1936-

Shared the 2000 Nobel Prize in Chemistry along with Alan G. MacDiarmid "for the discovery and development of conductive polymers."

Swensen, James S.

Advised by Heeger at University of California, Santa Barbara, "Light emission from an ambipolar semiconducting polymer field-effect transistor."

Takacs, Christopher J.

Advised by Heeger at University of California, Santa Barbara, "Self-assembly of conjugated polymers and small-molecules."

Yuen, Jonathan D.

Advised by Heeger at University of California, Santa Barbara, "Quasi one-dimensional transport in doped polythiophene and polythiophene thin film transistors."

Colleagues

Ahlers, G. (Günter)

Both employed at University of California, Santa Barbara.

Alvarez, Luis W., 1911-1988

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Awschalom, D. (David)

Both employed at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Barish, B. C. (Barry Clark), 1936-

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Baym, Gordon

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Bialek, William S.

Both employed at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Birge, Raymond T. (Raymond Thayer), 1887-

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Bradbury, Norris, 1909-1997

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Brode, Robert B. (Robert Bigham), 1900-1986

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Burstein, Elias, 1917-2017

Both employed at University of Pennsylvania.

Callen, Herbert B.

Both employed at University of Pennsylvania.

Chamberlain, O. (Owen)

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Chew, Geoffrey F.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Commins, Eugene D.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Glaser, D. A.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Glashow, Sheldon L.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Goldenfeld, Nigel

Both employed at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Goldhaber, Gerson

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Gossard, A. C.

Both employed at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Gross, David J. (David Jonathan)

Both employed at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Hahn, E. L. (Erwin Louis), 1921-

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Hartle, J. B. (James B.)

Both employed at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Helmholz, August Carl, 1915-2003

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Hopfield, John J.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Horowitz, Gary T., 1955-

Both employed at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Jeffries, C. D., 1922-

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Kirtley, John R.

Both employed at University of Pennsylvania.

Kittel, Charles

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Kivelson, Steven

Both employed at University of Pennsylvania and University of California, Santa Barbara.

Kohn, Walter, 1923-2016

Both employed at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Langenberg, D. N., 1932-

Both employed at University of Pennsylvania.

Langer, James S.

Both employed at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Louie, Steven G., 1949-

Both employed at University of Pennsylvania.

Lubensky, T. C.

Both employed at University of Pennsylvania.

McMillan, Edwin M. (Edwin Mattison), 1907-

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Middleton, Roy, 1927-2004

Both employed at University of Pennsylvania.

Moyer, Burton J., 1912-1973

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Nierenberg, William Aaron, 1919-2000

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Peale, Stanton Jerrold

Both employed at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Pinczuk, Aron

Both employed at University of Pennsylvania.

Plummer, E. Ward

Both employed at University of Pennsylvania.

Polchinski, Joseph Gerard

Both employed at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Primakoff, H. (Henry), 1914-1983

Both employed at University of Pennsylvania.

Reynolds, John Hamilton, 1923-2000

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Ruderman, Malvin A.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Scalapino, Douglas J.

Both employed at University of Pennsylvania and University of California, Santa Barbara.

Schrieffer, J. R. (John Robert), 1931-

Both employed at University of Pennsylvania and University of California, Santa Barbara.

Sciulli, Frank J.

Both employed at University of Pennsylvania.

Seaborg, Glenn T. (Glenn Theodore), 1912-1999

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Segrè, Emilio

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Steiner, Herbert M.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Steinhardt, Paul J.

Both employed at University of Pennsylvania.

Strominger, Andrew Eben

Both employed at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Stubbs, Christopher

Both employed at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Teller, Edward, 1908-2003

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Thomas, Gareth, 1932-2014

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Tinkham, Michael

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Trilling, George H.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Watson, Kenneth M.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Weinberg, Steven, 1933-

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Wilczek, Frank

Both employed at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Witherell, Michael S., 1949-

Both employed at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Institutions

Major Positions

Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter (University of Pennsylvania)

Director.

UNIAX Corporation

Founder; President; Chief Scientist; and Chair, Board of Directors.

Université de Genève

Guggenheim Fellow and Visiting Professor of Physics.

University of California, Berkeley. Department of Physics

Obtained PhD in Physics (1961). Research Associate in Physics.

University of California, Santa Barbara. Center for Polymers and Organic Solids

Director.

University of California, Santa Barbara. Department of Physics

Professor of Physics.

University of California, Santa Barbara. Materials Department

Professor of Materials.

University of Pennsylvania. Department of Physics and Astronomy

Assistant Professor of Physics; Associate Professor of Physics; Professor of Physics; Director, Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter; and Acting Vice-Provost for Research.

University of Utah. Department of Physics & Astronomy

Adjunct Professor of Physics.

Professional Activities & Affiliations

American Physical Society

Fellow and received 1983 Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize.

Aspen Center for Physics

Member, Board of Trustees.

Cornell University. Department of Physics

National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)

Member.

University of Nebraska -- Lincoln. Department of Physics and Astronomy

Obtained BS (1957).

Resources

Archival Resources

Author

Alan J. Heeger papers 1952-2003 (bulk 1980-2000).

Library. Dept. of Special Collections

University of California, Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA

Oral history interview with Alan J. Heeger, 2006 March 13 and 16.

The Beckman Center for History of Chemistry

Chemical Heritage Foundation

315 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106-2702, USA

Published Resources

Author

Alan Heeger Nobel Prize Autobiography

Magnetic materials digest : the literature of 1962.