Dr. Selman A. Waksman was a pioneering Russian-born American microbiologist whose foundational work established soil microbiology as a distinct scientific discipline. Born in Priluka, Russia on July 22, 1888, he emigrated to the United States in 1910 and earned his B.Sc. in Agriculture from Rutgers University in 1915, followed by an M.Sc. in 1916 and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of California in 1918. He joined the Rutgers faculty in 1918, rising to Associate Professor in 1925 and full Professor in 1930, before becoming Head of the newly organized Department of Microbiology in 1940 and Director of the Institute of Microbiology in 1949, positions he held until his retirement in 1958 while continuing limited research activities.
Dr. Waksman's systematic investigation of soil microorganisms, particularly actinomycetes, revolutionized medical science through the discovery of streptomycin in 1943, the first effective treatment for tuberculosis and the first antibiotic effective against Gram-negative bacteria. His laboratory at Rutgers developed the first standardized screening protocols for detecting antimicrobial agents, deliberately searching for therapeutic compounds rather than relying on chance observations like penicillin's discovery. Over his career, Waksman and his research team isolated more than twenty antibiotics including actinomycin, neomycin, and streptomycin, with his work establishing the modern definition and understanding of antibiotic substances produced by microorganisms.
Beyond his specific discoveries, Dr. Waksman's legacy includes training generations of microbiologists and publishing over four hundred scientific papers along with eighteen authoritative books that shaped the field of soil microbiology and antibiotic research. His methodical approach to systematically screening soil microorganisms for antimicrobial properties created the blueprint for subsequent antibiotic discovery programs worldwide, fundamentally transforming infectious disease treatment. The Nobel Committee recognized his paradigm-shifting contributions in 1952 when he received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, cementing his place as one of the most influential microbiologists whose work continues to inform antimicrobial research and soil science disciplines to this day.
