Oral history interview with Paul M. Doty
- 1986-Nov-17
Oral history interview with Paul M. Doty
- 1986-Nov-17
Paul Doty begins by describing his family's background and his early education in Western Pennsylvania. He also recalls attending the ACS national meeting while he was still a teenager. He describes his impressions of Pennsylvania State College under Frank Whitmore, and the influence of John G. [Jack] Aston. Examining his selection of Columbia University for graduate studies, Doty describes the famous scientists there at that time and the effects of World War II; next he discusses how thesis research in physical chemistry led to work on light scattering and polymers. He remembers his coworkers, including Bruno Zimm and Turner Alfrey, and his postdoc in Eric Rideal's laboratory at Cambridge University, where he was first drawn to research in biopolymers. Doty recounts his early research at Harvard University, including protein denaturation and renaturation, and describes his colleagues. He continues the interview with an account of the development of biochemistry at Harvard and his involvement in public service and activism in nuclear and international issues. Finally, Paul Doty reflects on national characteristics in academic policy.
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Rights | Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License |
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About the Interviewer
Raymond C. Ferguson obtained his degrees in chemistry from Iowa State University (BS, MS) and Harvard University (PhD). He worked in research divisions of the Organic Chemicals, Elastomer Chemicals, and Central Research Departments of DuPont, principally in molecular spectroscopy, organic structure analysis, and polymer characterization. Currently he is affiliated with CONDUX, Inc., a consulting association of former DuPont professionals.
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Oral history number | 0062 |
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Interviewee biographical information
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Education
Year | Institution | Degree | Discipline |
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1941 | Pennsylvania State University | BS | Chemistry |
1944 | Columbia University | PhD | Chemistry |
Professional Experience
Polytechnic Institute of New York
- 1943 to 1945 Instructor, Research Associate and Co-Director of Quartermaster Projects
- 1945 to 1946 Assistant Professor of Physical Chemistry
University of Notre Dame
- 1947 to 1948 Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Harvard University
- 1948 to 1950 Assistant Professor of Chemistry
- 1950 to 1956 Associate Professor of Chemistry
- 1956 to 1968 Professor of Chemistry
- 1967 to 1970 Chairman, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- 1968 to 1987 Mallinckrodt Professor of Biochemistry
Honors
Year(s) | Award |
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1946 to 1947 | Rockefeller Fellow, Cambridge University, England |
1950 to 1951 | Guggenheim Fellow, held in 1958, Cambridge University |
1950 | Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences |
1955 | Priestly Lecturer, Pennsylvania State University |
1956 | Award in Pure Chemistry, American Chemical Society |
1956 | Edgar Fahs Smith Lecturer, University of Pennsylvania |
1957 | Elected Member, National Academy of Sciences |
1959 | Harrison Howe Lecturer, University of Rochester |
1960 | Harvey Lecturer |
1961 to 1965 | Member, President's Science Advisory Committee |
1963 | Senior Fellow, Society of Fellows, Harvard University |
1966 | DSc, University of Chicago |
1967 | Gold Medal Award, City College Chemistry Alumni Association |
1970 | Fellow, American Philosophical Society |
1971 | Robertson Memorial Lecturer, National Academy of Sciences |
1972 | Dedication Lecture, Mitsubishi-Kasei Institute of Life Sciences, Tokyo |
1973 | 25th Anniversary Lecture, Brandeis University |
1973 | J. T. Donald Lecture in Chemistry, McGill University |
1975 | Foreign Member, Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts |
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doty_pm_0062_FULL.pdf
The published version of the transcript may diverge from the interview audio due to edits to the transcript made by staff of the Center for Oral History, often at the request of the interviewee, during the transcript review process.