Materials Science and Engineering

Michael Szwarc

U.S.A. / June 9, 1909-2000
Macromolecular Chemist; Professor, University of Southern California

A chemist who has made an outstanding contribution to research and development of polymeric materials for materials science, he is best known for discovering "living polymerization," paving the way for new functional materials with indispensable applications in advanced technology, and providing many scientists and engineers (particularly polymer scientists) with significant and unprecedented methodologies for the design and synthesis of new polymeric materials.

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY

1909	Born in Poland
1932	Graduated from Warsaw Polytechnic College, Poland
1942	Ph.D., Organic Chemistry, Hebrew University, Israel
1947	D. Sc., Physical Chemistry, University of Manchester, England
1953	Professor, The State University of New York Director, The Polymer Research Center, The State University of New York
present	Professor, The Hydrocarbon Research Institute, University of Southern California

AWARDS AND HONORS

1966	Fellow of the Royal Society, London
1969	Witco Award in Polymer Chemistry, The American Chemical Society
1972	International Award in Plastics Science and Engineering
1988	Member of the Polish Academy of Sciences
1990	Award of the Division of Polymer Chemistry, The American Chemical Society
1991	Honorary Fellow of the Society of Polymer Science, Japan

MAJOR WORKS

1956	Living Polymers. Nature. Vol. 178
1956	Polymerization initiated by electron transfer to monomer: A new method of preparation of block polymers. Journal of the American Chemical Society. Vol. 78 (with Levy, M. et al.)
1959	Block polymers of ethylene oxide and its analogues with styrene. Transactions of the Faraday Society. Vol.55 (with Richards, D.H.)
1968	Carbanions, living polymers and electrontransfer processes. Wiley-Interscience
1972	Ions and ion pairs in organic reactions. (Ed.) Wiley-Interscience
1988	Developments in anionic polymerization: A critical review. Advances in Polymer Science. Vol.86

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