Dr. Gabor Somorjai was a world-renowned surface chemist whose pioneering work fundamentally transformed our understanding of molecular interactions at solid surfaces. Born in Budapest, Hungary in 1935 to Jewish parents, he narrowly escaped Nazi persecution through Raoul Wallenberg's intervention during World War II. Following his participation in the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, he emigrated to the United States where he earned his PhD in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley in 1960. After four years as a research scientist at IBM's Thomas J. Watson Research Center, he returned to UC Berkeley in 1964 as an assistant professor, eventually achieving the prestigious rank of University Professor, the highest honor in the University of California system, in 2002.
Dr. Somorjai is widely regarded as the father of modern surface chemistry, having developed groundbreaking techniques including sum frequency generation surface vibrational spectroscopy and high-pressure scanning tunneling microscopy that enabled atomic-scale characterization of surfaces under realistic conditions. His nearly five-decade research career produced over 1,200 scientific papers and multiple influential textbooks that established the molecular foundations of heterogeneous catalysis. His work provided fundamental insights into structure, bonding, and reactivity at solid surfaces, with practical applications spanning pharmaceuticals, agriculture, automotive technology, and energy conversion. For these seminal contributions, he received numerous prestigious awards including the National Medal of Science and the Priestley Medal, the highest honor of the American Chemical Society.
Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Somorjai mentored more than 400 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, many of whom became leaders in academia, national laboratories, and industry worldwide. Over seventy of his trainees secured faculty positions globally, while numerous others became executives in the chemical, electronic, and energy sectors, extending his scientific legacy across multiple generations. He held ten honorary degrees from universities around the world and established awards to support future researchers through UC Berkeley's Miller Institute and the American Chemical Society. Dr. Somorjai passed away on July 7, 2025 at the age of 90, leaving behind an enduring scientific legacy that continues to shape the fields of surface science and catalysis worldwide.
