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George M. Whitesides

George M. Whitesides

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Best Scientists
2025
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Chemistry
USA
2026

D-Index & Metrics

Best Scientists

D-Index
291
Citations
386553
World Ranking
17
National Ranking
12

Materials Science

D-Index
283
Citations
356725
World Ranking
5
National Ranking
4

Chemistry

D-Index
271
Citations
325850
World Ranking
2
National Ranking
1

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Chemistry in United States Leader Award
  • 2026 - Research.com Materials Science in United States Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Best Scientists Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Chemistry in United States Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Materials Science in United States Leader Award
  • 2022 - Research.com Chemistry in United States Leader Award
  • 2022 - Research.com Materials Science in United States Leader Award
  • 2013 - Fellow, National Academy of Inventors
  • 2011 - F.A. Cotton Medal for Excellence in Chemical Research, American Chemical Society (ACS)
  • 2009 - Benjamin Franklin Medal, Franklin Institute
  • 2009 - Fellow of the American Chemical Society
  • 2009 - Fellow of American Physical Society (APS) Citation For his manifold contributions to the physics of biology, materials, and surfaces, including new scientific insights in studies of molecular selfassembly, soft lithography, and microfluidics
  • 2007 - Priestley Medal, American Chemical Society (ACS)
  • 2005 - Welch Award in Chemistry, Robert A. Welch Foundation
  • 2005 - Linus Pauling Award, American Chemical Society (ACS)
  • 2005 - Member of the National Academy of Engineering For the development and promulgation of methods of self-assembly and soft lithography.
  • 2004 - Oesper Award, University of Cincinnati and American Chemical Society
  • 2002 - Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
  • 2000 - Von Hippel Award, Materials Research Society
  • 1998 - US President's National Medal of Science "For innovative and far-ranging research in chemistry, biology, biochemistry and material science, pioneering work of technological interest and his extensive involvement with teaching, government and industry.", Presented by President William Jefferson Clinton at a White House (East Room) ceremony on Tuesday, April 27, 1999.
  • 1995 - Arthur C. Cope Award, American Chemical Society (ACS)
  • 1980 - Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
  • 1978 - Member of the National Academy of Sciences
  • 1975 - Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
  • 1975 - ACS Award in Pure Chemistry, American Chemical Society (ACS)
  • 1969 - Fellow of Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

Overview

George M. Whitesides is affiliated with Harvard University in the United States and primarily works within the field of Engineering. Their research contributions span various subfields including Biomedical Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Chemistry, and Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics.

The scientist has published extensively on topics related to Soft Robotics and Applications, Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials, Molecular Junctions and Nanostructures, Advanced Materials and Mechanics, Microfluidic and Capillary Electrophoresis Applications, Innovative Microfluidic and Catalytic Techniques Innovation, and Modular Robots and Swarm Intelligence.

Frequent co-authors of George M. Whitesides include:

  • Samuel E. Root
  • Markus P. Nemitz
  • Daniel J. Preston
  • Jovanna A. Tracz
  • Haihui Joy Jiang

Publications are often found in venues such as:

  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
  • Journal of the American Chemical Society
  • Advanced Materials Technologies
  • IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters
  • Lab on a Chip

Recent papers authored or co-authored include:

  • An outlook on microfluidics: the promise and the challenge, 2022, Lab on a Chip
  • A buckling-sheet ring oscillator for electronics-free, multimodal locomotion, 2022, Science Robotics
  • Nonlinear Phenomena in Microfluidics, 2022, Chemical Reviews
  • Programmable soft valves for digital and analog control, 2022, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
  • Smart Thermally Actuating Textiles, 2020, Advanced Materials Technologies

Throughout their career, George M. Whitesides has been recognized with several awards including:

  • Fellow, National Academy of Inventors (2013)
  • F.A. Cotton Medal for Excellence in Chemical Research, American Chemical Society (ACS) (2011)
  • Fellow of American Physical Society (APS) (2009): Citation for contributions to physics of biology, materials, and surfaces including molecular self-assembly, soft lithography, and microfluidics
  • Benjamin Franklin Medal, Franklin Institute (2009)
  • Fellow of the American Chemical Society (2009)
  • Priestley Medal, American Chemical Society (ACS) (2007)
  • Welch Award in Chemistry, Robert A. Welch Foundation (2005)
  • Member of the National Academy of Engineering (2005): For methods of self-assembly and soft lithography
  • Linus Pauling Award, American Chemical Society (ACS) (2005)
  • Oesper Award, University of Cincinnati and American Chemical Society (2004)
  • Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (2002)
  • Von Hippel Award, Materials Research Society (2000)
  • US President's National Medal of Science (1998): For innovative and far-ranging research in chemistry, biology, biochemistry and material science, pioneering technological work, and involvement in teaching, government, and industry
  • Arthur C. Cope Award, American Chemical Society (ACS) (1995)
  • Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) (1980)
  • Member of the National Academy of Sciences (1978)
  • ACS Award in Pure Chemistry, American Chemical Society (ACS) (1975)
  • Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1975)
  • Fellow of Alfred P. Sloan Foundation (1969)

Best Publications

  • Self-assembled monolayers of thiolates on metals as a form of nanotechnology.

    J. Christopher Love;Lara A. Estroff;Jennah K. Kriebel;Ralph G. Nuzzo

  • Self-assembly at all scales.

    George M. Whitesides;Bartosz Grzybowski

  • Rapid prototyping of microfluidic systems in poly(dimethylsiloxane)

    David C. Duffy;J. Cooper McDonald;and Olivier J. A. Schueller;George M. Whitesides

  • Geometric control of cell life and death.

    Christopher S. Chen;Milan Mrksich;Sui Huang;George M. Whitesides

  • Polyvalent Interactions in Biological Systems: Implications for Design and Use of Multivalent Ligands and Inhibitors.

    Mathai Mammen;Seok-Ki Choi;George M. Whitesides

  • Formation of monolayer films by the spontaneous assembly of organic thiols from solution onto gold

    Colin D. Bain;E. Barry Troughton;Yu Tai Tao;Joseph Evall

  • Molecular self-assembly and nanochemistry: a chemical strategy for the synthesis of nanostructures.

    George M. Whitesides;John P. Mathias;Christopher T. Seto

  • Fabrication of microfluidic systems in poly(dimethylsiloxane)

    J.C. McDonald;D.C. Duffy;J.R. Anderson;D.T. Chiu

  • Soft Lithography in Biology and Biochemistry

    George M. Whitesides;Emanuele Ostuni;Shuichi Takayama;Xingyu Jiang

  • Solvent compatibility of poly(dimethylsiloxane)-based microfluidic devices.

    Jessamine Ng Lee;Cheolmin Park;George M. Whitesides

  • Patterned Paper as a Platform for Inexpensive, Low‐Volume, Portable Bioassays

    Andres W. Martinez;Scott T. Phillips;Manish J. Butte;George M. Whitesides

  • Poly(dimethylsiloxane) as a material for fabricating microfluidic devices.

    J. Cooper Mcdonald;George M. Whitesides

  • Diagnostics for the Developing World: Microfluidic Paper-Based Analytical Devices

    Andres W. Martinez;Scott T. Phillips;George M. Whitesides;Emanuel Carrilho

  • Comparison of the Structures and Wetting Properties of Self-Assembled Monolayers of n- Alkanethiols on the Coinage Metal Surfaces, Cu, Ag, Au'

    Paul E. Laibinis;Paul E. Laibinis;George M. Whitesides;David L. Allara;Yu Tai Tao;Yu Tai Tao

  • Formation of droplets and bubbles in a microfluidic T-junction-scaling and mechanism of break-up.

    Piotr Garstecki;Piotr Garstecki;Michael J. Fuerstman;Howard A. Stone;George M. Whitesides

  • Spontaneous formation of ordered structures in thin films of metals supported on an elastomeric polymer

    Ned Bowden;Scott Brittain;Anthony G. Evans;John W. Hutchinson

  • Soft lithography for micro- and nanoscale patterning

    Dong Qin;Younan Xia;George McClelland Whitesides

  • Features of gold having micrometer to centimeter dimensions can be formed through a combination of stamping with an elastomeric stamp and an alkanethiol ‘‘ink’’ followed by chemical etching

    Amit Kumar;George M. Whitesides

  • New approaches to nanofabrication: molding, printing, and other techniques.

    Byron D. Gates;Qiaobing Xu;Michael Stewart;Declan Ryan

  • Self-assembled organic monolayers: model systems for studying adsorption of proteins at surfaces

    Kevin L. Prime;George M. Whitesides

Frequent Co-Authors

Younan Xia
Younan Xia Johns Hopkins University
Piotr Garstecki
Piotr Garstecki Polish Academy of Sciences
Bobak Mosadegh
Bobak Mosadegh Cornell University
Donald E. Ingber
Donald E. Ingber Harvard University
Robert F. Shepherd
Robert F. Shepherd Cornell University
Milan Mrksich
Milan Mrksich Northwestern University
Scott T. Phillips
Scott T. Phillips Pennsylvania State University
Howard A. Stone
Howard A. Stone Princeton University
Ramses V. Martinez
Ramses V. Martinez Purdue University West Lafayette
Insung S. Choi
Insung S. Choi Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

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