| 1 | Name: | Dr. Jiri Jonas | |
| Institution: | Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology; University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign | ||
| Year Elected: | 2003 | ||
| Class: | 1. Mathematical and Physical Sciences | ||
| Subdivision: | 102. Chemistry and Chemical Biochemistry | ||
| Residency: | Resident | ||
| Living? : | Living | ||
| Birth Date: | 1932 | ||
Jiri Jonas received his Ph.D. from the Czechoslovak Academy of Science in 1960. He moved to the United States in 1963 to join the faculty of the University of Illinois where he has remained throughout his career. He is now Professor Emeritus of Chemistry, Professor Emeritus of the Center for Advanced Study, and Director Emeritus of the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Jiri Jonas has been a pioneer in developing and using high pressure NMR to study the structure and dynamics of liquids, including liquids in small pores, the effect of compression on reaction rates in solution, and, in recent years, the conformation of protein molecules and membranes, the mechanism of protein folding and cold denaturation of proteins. In addition, as Director of the Beckman Institute for the past nine years he developed the largest university-operated organization for interdisciplinary research involving engineering, chemistry and physiological psychology. Significant useful devices have resulted. Dr. Jonas received the Hildebrand Award of the American Chemical Society and the U.S. Senior Scientist Award of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. He was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society in 2003. | |||