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 The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech) is a private research university in Pasadena, California, United States. The university is responsible for many modern scientific advancements and is among a small group of institutes ...

(Caltech). 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 The Beckman Institute at Caltech is a multi-disciplinary center for research in the chemical and biological sciences, located at and partnering with the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, California, United States. Foundin ...

. , he serves as Caltech's Provost. He is one of very few American scientists to have been elected to all three branches of the

United States National Academies The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), also known as the National Academies, is a congressionally chartered organization that serves as the collective scientific national academy of the United States. The name i ...

: the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

(2006), the

National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American Nonprofit organization, nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. It is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), along with the National Academ ...

(2008), and the

Institute of Medicine The National Academy of Medicine (NAM), known as the Institute of Medicine (IoM) until 2015, is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Medicine is a part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineerin ...

(2011). He was elected a Member of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

in 2019.

Early life and education

Tirrell earned a B.S. in

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

(MIT) in 1974. He received a Ph.D. in 1978 from the

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) is a public land-grant research university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system and was founded in 1863 as the ...

where his thesis advisor was Professor Otto Vogl. In 1978, he held a postdoctoral position at

Kyoto University , or , is a National university, national research university in Kyoto, Japan. Founded in 1897, it is one of the former Imperial Universities and the second oldest university in Japan. The university has ten undergraduate faculties, eighteen gra ...

Career

Tirrell was a faculty member in the department of chemistry at

Carnegie-Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a Private university, private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The institution was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools. In 1912, it became t ...

from 1978 to 1984. He served as the director of the materials research laboratory at the

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. 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. Tirrell and his co-workers have formed crystals, liquid crystals and gels with predetermined, programmable molecular architectures and accompanying properties. His work in macromolecular synthesis underlies the development of "smart" materials, which respond to external cues like temperature, pH, chemical reagents, or light. 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. Specialized macromolecules may provide materials for use in surgery and regenerative medicine. 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.

Awards and honors

Tirrell is an elected member of all three branches of the

: the

(2006), the

(2008), and the

(2011). He is also an elected member of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

, a fellow of the

American Chemical Society The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all ...

(2010), and a fellow of the

National Academy of Inventors The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) is a US non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging inventors in academia, following the model of the National Academies of the United States. It was founded at the University of South Florida in 201 ...

(2018). He has received a number of awards, including: * 2011, Member,

* 2010, Dickson Prize in Science, Carnegie Mellon University * 2008, Member,

* 2007, Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award (

) * 2006, Member,

* 2006, S. C. Lind Lecturer, East Tennessee Section, American Chemical Society * 2004, G. N. Lewis Lecturer, University of California Berkeley * 2001, ACS Award in Polymer Chemistry * 2001, honorary doctorate from the Technical University of Eindhoven * 1997, Chancellor's Medal of the University of Massachusetts * 1996, Harrison Howe Award, Rochester Section, American Chemical Society * 1991, Carl S. Marvel Creative Polymer Chemistry Award

External links

* http://tirrell-lab.caltech.edu/

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tirrell, David A. Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Living people 21st-century American chemists Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science alumni University of Massachusetts Amherst alumni California Institute of Technology faculty Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering Fellows of the American Chemical Society 1953 births Members of the American Philosophical Society Members of the National Academy of Medicine