David A. Tirrell

David A. Tirrell (born 1953) is an American chemist and the Ross McCollum-William H. Corcoran Professor and professor of chemistry and chemical engineering at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).[1] A pioneer in the areas of polymer synthesis and protein biosynthesis, his research has a wide range of applications, including coatings, adhesion, lubrication, bioengineering and biomedical intervention. From 2012 to 2018, Tirrell was the director of the Beckman Institute at Caltech.[2] As of 2017, he serves as Caltech's Provost.[3] He is one of very few American scientists to have been elected to all three branches of the United States National Academies: the National Academy of Sciences (2006),[4] the National Academy of Engineering (2008),[5] and the Institute of Medicine (2011).[6] He was elected a Member of the American Philosophical Society in 2019.

David A. Tirrell
Born1953
Easton, Pennsylvania, USA
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of Massachusetts
Scientific career
FieldsChemistry and Chemical Engineering
InstitutionsCarnegie-Mellon University, University of Massachusetts, California Institute of Technology
Doctoral studentsKristi Kiick
Websitetirrell-lab.caltech.edu/DavidTirrell
External video
video icon Reinterpreting the Genetic Code - 2010 Dickson Prize Lecture, Carnegie Mellon University

Early life and education

Tirrell earned a B.S. in chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1974. He received a Ph.D. in 1978 from the University of Massachusetts Amherst where his thesis advisor was Professor Otto Vogl. In 1978, he held a postdoctoral position at Kyoto University.[7]

Career

Tirrell was a faculty member in the department of chemistry at Carnegie-Mellon University from 1978 to 1984. He served as the director of the materials research laboratory at the University of Massachusetts Amherst from 1978 to 1998. He moved to Caltech in 1998 and served as chairman of the division of chemistry and chemical engineering at Caltech from 1999 until 2009. He edited the Journal of Polymer Science from 1988 to 1999.[8]

Tirrell applies principles from biology and chemistry to polymer synthesis. Recognizing that most synthetic polymers are mixtures, rather than pure substances, he developed pioneering techniques for the creation of precisely-defined polymers of uniform structure.[9] Tirrell and his co-workers have formed crystals, liquid crystals and gels with predetermined, programmable molecular architectures and accompanying properties.[10] His work in macromolecular synthesis underlies the development of "smart" materials, which respond to external cues like temperature, pH, chemical reagents, or light.[11][12][13]

Tirrell has gone on to make important contributions to protein biosynthesis, effectively reprogramming the genetic code of biological cells to produce artificial, protein-like macromolecules.[14] Specialized macromolecules may provide materials for use in surgery and regenerative medicine.[12] Areas that he is exploring include the use of artificial amino acids in the preparation of proteins, the evolution of novel proteins, and analysis of cellular processes.[15]

Awards and honors

Tirrell is an elected member of all three branches of the United States National Academies: the National Academy of Sciences (2006),[4] the National Academy of Engineering (2008),[5] and the Institute of Medicine (2011).[6] He is also an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences,[1] a fellow of the American Chemical Society (2010),[16] and a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (2018).[17]

He has received a number of awards, including:

Library resources about
David A. Tirrell
By David A. Tirrell

References
  1. "Professor David A. Tirrell". Caltech. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  2. "Caltech Professor David Tirrell Named Director of the Beckman Institute". About Caltech. Archived from the original on 29 August 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  3. "David Tirrell Named Caltech Provost | Caltech". The California Institute of Technology. Retrieved 2018-08-02.
  4. O'Leary, Maureen (April 25, 2006). "72 New Members Chosen By Academy". News from the National Academies.
  5. Scahill, Jacqueline (February 15, 2008). "David Tirrell Elected to Membership in the National Academy of Engineering". About Caltech. Caltech.
  6. Fesenmaier, Kimm (October 26, 2011). "Caltech Professors Mark E. Davis and David A. Tirrell Elected to the Institute of Medicine". Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. Caltech.
  7. "David A. Tirrell". Chemical Engineering. California Institute of Technology. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  8. Zewail, Ahmed H., ed. (2008). Physical Biology: From Atoms to Medicine : From Atoms to Medicine. London: Imperial College Press. p. 185. ISBN 978-1848162006. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  9. Timp, Gregory, ed. (1999). Nanotechnology. New York, NY: Springer New York. ISBN 978-1-4612-0531-9.
  10. Tirrell, David A.; Tirrell, June G.; Mason, Thomas L.; Fournier, Maurille J. (1998). "Engineered Proteins in Materials Research" (PDF). In Hecht, S. M. (ed.). Bioorganic chemistry : peptides and proteins. New York: Oxford University Press.
  11. Duffy, Jocelyn (2011). "Lecture Spotlight: Cells Become Factories for Dickson Prize Lecturer". The Piper. No. March. Carnegie Mellon University. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  12. Langer, Robert; Tirrell, David A. (1 April 2004). "Designing materials for biology and medicine". Nature. 428 (6982): 487–492. Bibcode:2004Natur.428..487L. doi:10.1038/nature02388. PMID 15057821. S2CID 4361055.
  13. Kato, Takashi (March 29, 2002). "Self-Assembly of Phase-Segregated Liquid Crystal Structures" (PDF). Science. 295 (5564): 2414–2418. Bibcode:2002Sci...295.2414K. doi:10.1126/science.1070967. PMID 11923528. S2CID 44587581. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  14. "David Tirrell to Receive Dickson Prize in Science". Carnegie Mellon Press Releases. Carnegie Mellon University. March 10, 2011. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  15. Tirrell, David A. (2008). "Reinterpreting the Genetic Code: Implications for macromolecular design, evolution and analysis". In Zewail, Ahmed H. (ed.). Physical Biology: From Atoms to Medicine : From Atoms to Medicine. London: Imperial College Press. pp. 165–187. ISBN 978-1848162006. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  16. "2010 ACS Fellows". Chemical & Engineering News. 88 (31): 60–62. August 2, 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  17. "Two Caltech Chemists Elected to the National Academy of Inventors". California Institute of Technology. December 11, 2018.
  18. "Arthur C. Cope Scholar Awards". ACS Chemistry for Life. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  19. "History of the S.C. Lind Lecture Series". East Tennessee ACS. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  20. "Annual Report 2004-2005" (PDF). The News Journal. 13 (2): 59. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  21. "ACS Award in Polymer Chemistry". ACS Chemistry for Life. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  22. "Honorary doctors". Technical University of Eindhoven. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  23. "UMass Amherst Convocation to Honor President William Bulger Sept. 26 in Campus Center Auditorium". University of Massachusetts Amherst. September 18, 1997.
  24. "The Harrison Howe Award presented by the Rochester Section of the ACS". The Rochester Section ACS. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  25. "Polymer Division Awards". Division of Polymer Chemistry. American Chemical Society. Archived from the original on 20 May 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
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