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Ahmed Zewail was born February 26, 1946, in Damanhur, Egypt. His father worked for the government and ran a business. He is the only son of four children. His family stressed the importance of education and he had an early interest in the physical sciences. He grew up knowing his family wanted him to become a university professor.
He attended Alexandria University and received a BS with honors and an MS in chemistry. He was named a demonstrator for his postgraduate work and found he enjoyed teaching courses. He came to believe that there was a simple, clear way to explain complex concepts. His professors encouraged him to leave Egypt for his doctoral studies, and he was accepted at the University of Pennsylvania where he received a Ph.D. in chemistry in 1973.
Zewail decided to remain in the United States and accepted a position at the University of California at Berkeley where he worked with Charles Harris on several projects including building a picosecond laser. A picosecond is one trillionth of a second (10-12).
In 1976, he was named an assistant professor at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, where he has remained throughout his illustrious career. In 1990, Zewail was named the Linus Pauling Chair in Chemical Physics.
Zewail won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1999 for his developmental work in femtochemistry, which uses lasers to capture images of chemical reactions as they happen, as if taking a photograph once every femtosecond. A femtosecond is one quadrillionth of a second or one thousandth of a nanosecond, and is the smallest known length of time.
Zewail is currently the Director of the NSF Laboratory for Molecular Sciences. His current research includes technology to control outcomes of chemical reactions. He retains close ties to his home country and holds both US and Egyptian citizenship. Zewail has a wife and four children. He continues to enjoy music and reading.
Honors and Awards
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellow, 1978-1982
Camille and Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, 1979-1985
Fellow, American Physical Society, 1982
Alexander von Humboldt Award for Senior United States Scientists, 1983
National Science Foundation Award for especially creative research, 1984, 1988, 1993
Buck-Whitney Medal, American Chemical Society, 1985
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellow, 1987
King Faisal International Prize in Science, 1989
Harrison Howe Award, American Chemical Society, 1989
Member, National Academy of Sciences, USA, 1989
Member, Third World Academy of Sciences, Italy, 1989
First Linus Pauling Chair, Caltech, 1990
Carl Zeiss International Award, Germany, 1992
Member, Sigma Xi Society, USA, 1992
Earle K. Plyler Prize, American Physical Society, 1993
The copyright of the article Ahmed Zewail - Femtochemistry and Laser Spectroscopy in Biographies of Scientists is owned by Jackie DiGiovanni. Permission to republish Ahmed Zewail - Femtochemistry and Laser Spectroscopy in print or online must be granted by the author in writing. Read more at Suite101: Ahmed Zewail - Femtochemistry and Laser Spectroscopy http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/biographies_scientists/113576#ixzz0AxIW7PJb

Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1993
Wolf Prize in Chemistry, 1993
Medal of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Holland, 1993
Bonner Chemiepreis, Germany, 1994
Member, Académie Européenne des Sciences, des Arts et des Lettres, France, 1994
Order of Merit, first class (Sciences & Arts), from President Mubarak, 1995
Herbert P. Broida Prize, American Physical Society, 1995
Leonardo Da Vinci Award of Excellence, France, 1995
Collége de France Medal, France, 1995
Peter Debye Award, American Chemical Society, 1996
National Academy of Sciences Award, Chemical Sciences, USA, 1996
J.G. Kirkwood Medal, Yale University, 1996
Peking University Medal, PU President, Beijing, China, 1996
Robert A. Welch Award in Chemistry, 1997
Pittsburgh Spectroscopy Award, 1997
First E.B. Wilson Award, American Chemical Society, 1997
Linus Pauling Medal Award, 1997
Benjamin Franklin Medal, Franklin Institute, USA, 1998
Richard C. Tolman Medal Award, 1998
William H. Nichols Medal Award, 1998
Paul Karrer Gold Medal, University of Zürich, Switzerland, 1998
E.O. Lawrence Award, U.S. Government, 1998
Member, American Philosophical Society, 1998
Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1999
Grand Collar of the Nile, Highest State Honor, conferred by President Mubarak, 1999
Merski Award, University of Nebraska, 1999
Röntgen Prize, (100th Anniversary of the Discovery of X-rays), Germany, 1999
Member, Pontifical Academy of Sciences, 1999
Member, American Academy of Achievement, 1999
Member, Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters, 2000
Honorary Degrees from over 12 universities Read more at Suite101: Ahmed Zewail - Femtochemistry and Laser Spectroscopy

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