WILLNER, ITAMAR

WILLNER, ITAMAR (1947– ), Israeli chemist. He was born in Bucharest, Romania. He completed his Ph.D. studies in chemistry in 1978 at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. After postdoctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley, he joined the Institute of Chemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1982. In 1986 he was appointed as professor at the Hebrew University. His research activities over the years attempted to combine biomolecules with synthetic and chemical assemblies to yield materials and systems of new functions and properties, and to prepare man-made materials that mimic biological functions. The research fields developed by him include light-induced electron-transfer and artificial photosynthesis, molecular electronics and optoelectronics, biomolecular electronics and optoelectronics, nanotechnology and nanobiotechnology, and the control of surface properties by functional monolayers and thin films. Until 2004 he co-authored over 420 papers and scientific chapters in books, and presented the research results at numerous worldwide symposia. His pioneering accomplishments were recognized with many international and national awards and distinctions. Among them are the Kolthoff Award (1993), the Max-Planck Research Award for International Cooperation (1998), the Israel Chemical Society Award (2001), and the Israel Prize in chemistry (2002). He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), a member of the Israel Academy of Sciences, and a member of the European Academy of Sciences. (Bracha Rager (2nd ed.)