Mark S. Wrighton

Mark S. Wrighton
Washington University in St. Louis
Term	1995 – present
Predecessor	William "Bill" H. Danforth
Born	June 11, 1949 (1949-06-11) (age 62) Jacksonville, Florida
Alma mater	Florida State University California Institute of Technology
Profession	Professor of Chemistry
Spouse	Risa Zwerling

Mark Stephen Wrighton (born June 11, 1949)^[1] is an American academic, a chemist, and the current Chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis. Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Wrighton received his B.S. in Chemistry from Florida State University in 1969. While at Florida State, he won the Monsanto Chemistry Award for outstanding research. He received his Ph.D at the age of 22 from the California Institute of Technology, working under Harry B. Gray and George S. Hammond. His doctoral dissertation subject was Photoprocesses in Metal-Containing Molecules. He graduated from Caltech in 1972.

Wrighton joined the faculty of the chemistry department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the fall of 1972 as an assistant professor. In 1976, he was promoted to associate professor and was made a full professor the following year. Wrighton held the Frederick G. Keyes Chair in Chemistry from 1981 to 1989, when he was given the newly endowed Ciba-Geigy Chair in Chemistry.

Wrighton's research interests are centered around photochemistry and metal catalysts. He has written more than 300 journal articles and holds 14 patents. During his time at MIT, Wrighton supervised the doctoral research of more than 70 students.

In 1987, Wrighton became the head of MIT's chemistry department. He became MIT's provost in 1990. In 1995, he left MIT to become chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis. He is among the highest paid university heads in the United States, making $738,000 in 2007.^[2][3] In early 2007 Wrighton was mentioned as a candidate for Harvard University's presidency.^[4][5]

Awards and honors

• 1969 Monsanto Chemistry Award (Florida State)
• 1972 Herbert Newby McCoy Award (Caltech)
• 1974 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship
• 1981
  • Pure Chemistry Award of the American Chemical Society
  • MIT Chemistry Department Graduate Teaching Award
• 1983
  • Honorary Doctor of Science at the University of West Florida
  • MacArthur Fellowship
  • George and Freda Halpern Award in Photochemistry from the New York Academy of Sciences
  • Ernest O. Lawrence Award from the U.S. Department of Energy
• 1984 Fresenius Award of Phi Lambda Upsilon
• 1987 MIT School of Science Teaching Prize
• 1988 Award in Inorganic Chemistry of the American Chemical Society
• 1992 Distinguished Alumni Award (Caltech)
• 2002 Honorary Professorship at Shandong University (Jinan, China)
• 2007 Honorary Doctorate Degree- Doctor of Humane Letters Florida State University (Tallahassee, Florida)

Fellowships and appointments

• Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (since 1988)
• Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (since 1986)
• Member of the American Philosophical Society (since 2001)
• Presidential Appointee to the National Science Board (2000–2006)
• Member of the Board of Overseers of the Boston Museum of Science (1991–1997)
• Member of the Corporation of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (1991–1995)
• Member of the Corporation of the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory (1994–1996)
• Member of the Board of Directors of the Chemical Heritage Foundation (1998–2002)
• Trustee of the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (1998–2002)
• Member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (2002–2005)
• Member of the Chemistry Research Evaluation Panel of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (1976–1980)
• Trustee of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

Criticisms

He has faced some criticism from student publications for not spending enough time interacting with students.^[6] Wrighton was heavily criticised by conservative students for his use of university letterhead to endorse the Missouri proposition on stem cell research.^{[citation needed]} Wrighton was also criticized in May 2008 when the university's Board of Trustees voted to honor alumna Phyllis Schlafly with an honorary doctorate, which led to outrage by liberals opposed to her stands on gender issues and by many other members of the university community because of her disbelief in evolution. Wrighton distanced himself from the board's decision with a letter to the community disavowing Schlafly's views on science.^[7]

References

1. ^ [1]
2. ^ Kelsey Volkmann (November 19, 2008). "Wash. U.'s Wrighton takes pay cut, endowment drops 25%". St. Louis Business Journal. http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2008/11/17/daily43.html. Retrieved January 12, 2010. 
3. ^ Lewis, Elizabeth (October 26, 2005). "Chancellor's salary higher than Harvard, Duke". Student Life. http://www.studlife.com/media/paper337/news/2005/10/26/News/Chancellors.Salary.Higher.Than.Harvard.Duke-1033962.shtml. Retrieved 2007-10-28. 
4. ^ http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=516187
5. ^ http://www.studlife.com/archives/News/2007/01/22/WrightonlikelycontenderforHarvardpresidentposition/
6. ^ Student Life
7. ^ Students, Faculty quietly protest Schlafly at Commencement

External links

• Mark S. Wrighton - Washington University in St. Louis
• Wrighton, Mark S (1972). Photoprocesses in Metal-Containing Molecules. http://etd.caltech.edu/etd/available/etd-07202004-113658. 
  Abstract of doctoral dissertation

Persondata
Name	Wrighton, Mark S.
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	June 11, 1949
Place of birth	Jacksonville, Florida
Date of death
Place of death