Alan J. Heeger
The information listed below is current as of the date the transcript was finalized.
Interview Details
Interview Sessions
Abstract of Interview
Alan J. Heeger begins the interview by describing his early decision to attend college and reasons behind changing his major from electrical engineering to mathematics and physics at the University of Nebraska. After obtaining his undergraduate degree, Heeger enrolled in Cornell University to pursue his interest in theoretical physics. After one year Heeger moved and attended University of California at Berkeley and switched his focus to experimental physics. Upon receiving his PhD under Alan Portis, Heeger took an assistant professorship at the University of Pennsylvania's physics department. At Penn Heeger's interests included spin-wave theory, metal physics, the Kondo problem, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) in magnetic materials. After achieving tenure, Heeger took a sabbatical at the University of Geneva to work on metal physics. Before leaving for Geneva, Heeger was introduced to TCNQ and shifted the focus of his research on that upon returning to the United States. Then in 1973, Heeger began investigating polysulfur nitride along with Alan MacDiarmid and Hideki Shirakawa that led to seminal publications on conducting polymers. After twenty years at the University of Pennsylvania, Heeger moved to the University of California at Santa Barbara's physics department, where he continued to conduct his research and collaboration with other scientists. Heeger concludes the interview by discussing thoughts of his role as a device physicist, and how he can best move technology development forward.
Education
| Year | Institution | Degree | Discipline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | University of Nebraska | BS with high honors | Physics and Mathematics |
| 1961 | University of California, Berkeley | PhD | Physics |
Professional Experience
University of Pennsylvania
University of Geneva
University of California, Santa Barbara
University of Utah
UNIAX Corporation
Honors
| Year(s) | Award |
|---|---|
| 1963 to 1967 | Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellow |
| 1968 to 1969 | John Simon Guggenheim Foundation Fellow |
| 1968 | American Physical Society Fellow |
| 1983 | Oliver E. Buckley Prize for Condensed Matter Physics |
| 1989 | John Scott Award |
| 1992 | Doctor of Science, Université d'Ètat à Mons, Belgium |
| 1995 | Balzan Prize, Science of New Materials, Bern, Switzerland |
| 1996 | Doctor of Technology, University of Linköping, Sweden |
| 1996 | Doctor of Technology, Abo Akademi University, Finland |
| 1999 | Doctor of Humane Letters, University of Massachusetts at Lowell |
| 1999 | Doctor of Science, University of Nebraska |
| 2000 | Nobel Prize in Chemistry |
| 2000 | Institute of Physics Fellow, UK |
| 2001 | Doctor of Science, Japan Advanced Institute for Science and Technology |
| 2001 | Doctor of Science, South China Institute of Science and Technology |
| 2001 | National Academy of Sciences (USA) |
| 2001 | President's Medal for Distinguished Achievement, University of Pennsylvania |
| 2001 | Chancellor's Medal, University of California, Santa Barbara |
| 2001 | Korean Academy of Science (Foreign Member) |
| 2001 | Doctor of Philosophy, Bar-Ilan University, Israel |
| 2001 | Presidential Chair, University of California, Santa Barbara |
| 2002 | National Academy of Engineering (USA) |
| 2005 | Doctor of Science, Trinity College, Dublin |
| 2005 | Albert Einstein Honorary Chair Professor, Chinese Academy of Sciences |
Table of Contents
Interest in science. Mother's influence on pursuing higher education. Deciding on a major. Developing hobbies. Thoughts on creativity.
Undergraduate degree at University of Nebraska. Stint at Cornell University. Part time work at Lockheed Martin and graduate work at University of California at Berkeley. Pursuing a PhD in experimental physics full time with Alan Portis at Berkeley. Research affiliations with industrial research laboratories.
Decision to stay in academia. Accepting a position at Penn. Role in recruitment and learning from Robert Schrieffer. Setting up research and finding funding. Publishing on Spin-wave theory. Thoughts on graduate and undergraduate teaching. Relationships with funding agencies and picking research projects. Summer research at Harwell, UK and one-year sabbatical at University of Geneva.
Learning about and interest in TCNQ. Research community and interest in TTF-TCNQ. Working with small crystals and scientific controversy. Origins of the controversy. Shifting into polysulfur nitride research.
Reading Mort Labes' paper. Collaboration with Alan MacDiarmid. Saturday meetings with MacDiarmid to exchange knowledge. Lessons from TCNQ. Learning about polyacetylene from Hideki Shirakawa in Japan and bringing him to the US. Doping of polyacetylene. Learning about electrochemistry. Winning the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Discussion about the polymer community. Administration position as Vice-Provost of Research. Decision to move to UCSB. Continued relationship with Alan MacDiarmid. Interaction with Schrieffer and other colleagues.
Thoughts on device physics. Commercial potentials and trying to move technology development forward.
About the Interviewer
Cyrus Mody is an assistant professor of history at Rice University. Prior to that position he was the manager of the Nanotechnology and Innovation Studies programs in the Center for Contemporary History and Policy at the Chemical Heritage Foundation. He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical and materials engineering from Harvard University and a PhD in science and technology studies from Cornell. He was the 2004–2005 Gordon Cain Fellow at CHF before becoming a program manager. Mody has published widely on the history and sociology of materials science, instrumentation, and nanotechnology.