''For the painter, see
Robert Field (painter)
Robert Field (1769–1819) was a painter who was born in London and died in Kingston, Jamaica. According to art historian Daphne Foskett, author of ''A Dictionary of British Miniature Painters'' (1972), Field was "one of the best American Portrai ...
''
Robert W. Field (born June 13, 1944) is the Haslam and Dewey Professor of Chemistry 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 ...
, where he has been a professor since 1974.
His AB degree is in chemistry from
Amherst College
Amherst College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zepha ...
, and his PhD is in chemistry from
Harvard University
Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
, where he worked with
Bill Klemperer. He was a postdoc with Herbert Broida at the
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Tracing its roots back to 1891 as an ...
.
Spectroscopy
He is a physical chemist, specializing in spectroscopy of small molecules in the
gas phase
In the physical sciences, a phase is a region of material that is chemically uniform, physically distinct, and (often) mechanically separable. In a system consisting of ice and water in a glass jar, the ice cubes are one phase, the water is a ...
. He performed the first microwave-optical and optical-optical double resonance experiments on small molecules, and invented the
Stimulated Emission Pumping (SEP, or "PUMP and DUMP") spectroscopic method. He is also particularly known for studies of the molecules
acetylene
Acetylene (Chemical nomenclature, systematic name: ethyne) is a chemical compound with the formula and structure . It is a hydrocarbon and the simplest alkyne. This colorless gas is widely used as a fuel and a chemical building block. It is u ...
(C
2H
2) and calcium fluoride (CaF) in the gas phase.
His active research group at MIT includes about eight
graduate students
Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor' ...
and postdocs working on experimental, theoretical and computational
physical chemistry
Physical chemistry is the study of macroscopic and microscopic phenomena in chemical systems in terms of the principles, practices, and concepts of physics such as motion, energy, force, time, thermodynamics, quantum chemistry, statistical mech ...
of small molecules in the gas phase.
Awards
He is the recipient of the
Broida Prize (1980), the
Plyler Prize (1988), the
Lippincott Award (1990), the
Arthur L. Schawlow Prize in Laser Science (2009), the
E. Bright Wilson Award in Spectroscopy (2012), and the Nobel Laureate Signature Award. He is a Fellow of the
American Physical Society
The American Physical Society (APS) is a not-for-profit membership organization of professionals in physics and related disciplines, comprising nearly fifty divisions, sections, and other units. Its mission is the advancement and diffusion 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 ...
, and 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 ...
.
References
Further reading
*
External links
* https://chemistry.mit.edu/profile/robert-w-field/
{{DEFAULTSORT:Field, Robert W.
1944 births
Living people
American physical chemists
Amherst College alumni
Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni
University of California, Santa Barbara alumni
Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science faculty
American spectroscopists
American computational chemists
Fellows of the American Physical Society