Dr. William Andrew Goddard III stands as a preeminent figure in theoretical and computational chemistry, currently serving as the Charles and Mary Ferkel Professor of Chemistry, Materials Science, and Applied Physics at the California Institute of Technology. Born on March 29, 1937 in El Centro, California, he experienced an itinerant childhood across agricultural communities where his father crafted shipping containers for produce. He pursued his academic journey at UCLA, earning a BS in engineering in 1960 before completing his PhD in engineering science with a minor in physics at Caltech in 1964. His distinguished career at Caltech commenced in November 1964, progressing through positions including Arthur Amos Noyes Research Fellow, Professor of Theoretical Chemistry, and ultimately the prestigious Ferkel Professorship he holds today.
Dr. Goddard has pioneered transformative computational methodologies that have fundamentally reshaped theoretical chemistry and materials science. His development of the Generalized Valence Bond (GVB) method for ab initio electronic structure calculations provided unprecedented insights into chemical bonding and reactivity, particularly for transition metal systems, establishing a new paradigm for quantum mechanical studies. The ReaxFF reactive force field, another of his seminal contributions, bridges quantum mechanical accuracy with classical molecular dynamics scalability, enabling simulations of complex chemical processes at previously unattainable scales of millions of atoms and microseconds of time. These computational frameworks have generated profound impact across diverse domains including catalysis, nanotechnology, materials design, and pharmaceutical development, with his publication record surpassing 1,160 peer-reviewed articles as of 2017.
His leadership extends beyond methodology development to shaping the broader scientific landscape as Director of Caltech's Materials and Process Simulation Center, where he continues to guide cutting-edge research in quantum mechanics, molecular dynamics, and electrocatalysis. Elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1984 and honored with the ACS Award for Theoretical Chemistry in 2008, his work maintains significant contemporary relevance through applications in sustainable energy technologies including CO2 reduction and solar fuel production. Dr. Goddard's research group remains at the forefront of developing advanced computational techniques such as the CANDLE method for solvent polarization and ReaxFF applications for electrocatalysis with explicit solvent models. His enduring legacy encompasses not only his technical innovations but also his mentorship of generations of computational scientists who continue to advance the field he helped define.
