ONR Supported Nobel Laureates

All ONR- Sponsored Nobel Laureates

Felix Bloch - (Physics, 1952)
For developing techniques of magnetic measurement in atomic nuclei.
General Applications: Magnetic resonance imagery
Naval Applications: Naval medicine; nondestructive inspection

Linus Pauling - (Chemistry, 1954)
For research into the nature of the chemical bond and its application to the elucidation of the structure of complex substances.
General Applications: Modern physical chemistry; modern biochemistry
Naval Applications: All chemical engineering applications: coatings, advances materials, etc.

Severo Ochoa - (Medicine, 1959)
For synthesizing ribonucleic acid.
General Applications: Virology; Biotechnology
Naval Applications: Naval medicine

Donald Glaser - (Physics, 1960)
For the invention of the bubble chamber, a device for observing the tracks of high energy subatomic particles.
General Applications: Particle physics
Naval Applications: Hydrodynamic research

Robert Hofstadter - (Physics, 1961)
For pioneering studies of electron scattering in atomic nuclei and for his thereby achieved discoveries concerning the structure of the nucleons.
General Applications: Particle physics
Naval Applications: Nuclear engineering

Melvin Calvin - (Chemistry, 1961)
For explaining the second stage of photosynthesis
General Applications: Plant physiology; Argonomy; Ecology
Naval Applications: Marine biology

Georg von Bekesy - (Medicine, 1961)
For explaining the physical events that take place within the human ear during hearing.
General Applications: Audiology
Naval Applications: Hearing protection

Charles H. Townes - (Physics, 1964)
For the invention of the maser and the laser.
General Applications: Communications, surgery, data storage and retrieval, etc.
Naval Applications: Communications; Targeting; Sensor applications; Distance measuring; Ballistic missile defense; Data processing

Hans Bethe - (Physics, 1967)
For his contributions to the theory of nuclear reactions, especially his discoveries concerning the energy production in stars.
General Applications: Nuclear chemistry
Naval Applications: Nuclear engineering

Haldan Hartline - (Medicine, 1967)
For explaining impulse coding in the visual receptors and contributions to the understanding of how sensory neuronal networks process data.
General Applications: Sensory physiology
Naval Applications: Human factors engineering

George Wald - (Medicine, 1967)
For identifying visual pigments and their chemical precursors, and for discovering the primary molecular reaction to light in the eye.
General Applications: Sensory physiology
Naval Applications: Human factors engineering; Biomimetics; Vision protection

Har Gobind Khorana - (Medicine, 1968)
For devising methods for the synthesis of well-defined nucleic acids.
General Applications: Virology; Biotechnology
Naval Applications: Naval medicine

Kenneth Arrow - (Economics, 1972)
For contributions to general economic equilibrium theory and welfare theory.
General Applications: Public policy; Management theory
Naval Applications: Management techniques

Gerald Edelman - (Medicine, 1972)
For discoveries concerning the chemical structure of antibodies
General Applications: Immunology; Biotechnology
Naval Applications: Naval medicine

Leon Cooper - (Physics, 1972)
For a theory of superconductivity
General Applications: Transportation; Electrical engineering; Computer science
Naval Applications: Electrical engineering; Computer science

Robert Schrieffer - (Physics, 1972)
For a theory of superconductivity
General Applications: Transportation; Electrical engineering; Computer science
Naval Applications: Electrical engineering; Computer science

Christian Anfinsen - (Chemistry, 1972)
For work on ribonuclease, especially concerning the connection between the amino acid sequence and the biologically active conformation.
General Applications: Virology; Biotechnology
Naval Applications: Naval medicine; DNA computers?

Paul J. Flory - (Chemistry, 1974)
For fundamental achievements, both theoretical and experimental, in the physical chemistry of macromolecules.
General Applications: Polymer chemistry; Molecular biology
Naval Applications: Advanced composite materials

William Lipscomb - (Chemistry, 1974)
For his studies on the structure of boranes illuminating problems of chemical bonding.
General Applications: Chemical engineering
Naval Applications: Chemical engineering

Peter Mitchell - (Chemistry, 1978)
For his contribution to the understanding of biological energy transfer through the formulation of the chemiosmotic theory.
General Applications: Chemical engineering; Cell biology; Molecular biology
Naval Applications: Chemical engineering; Naval medicine; Material science

Herbert Simon - (Economics, 1978)
For his pioneering research into the decision-making process within economic organizations.
General Applications: Management theory and technique; Organization sociology; Cybernetics
Naval Applications: Management practices; Organizational behavior; Cybernetics

Herbert C. Brown - (Chemistry, 1979)
For his development of the use of boron-containing compounds into important reagents in the organic synthesis.
General Applications: Organic chemistry and biochemistry; Chemical engineering
Naval Applications: Chemical engineering

Arthur Schawlow - (Physics, 1981)
For his contributions to the development of laser spectroscopy.
General Applications: Spectroscopy; Atomic physics
Naval Applications: Spectroscopy; Highly accurate timekeeping

Nicolas Bloembergen - (Physics, 1981)
For his contributions to the development of laser spectroscopy.
General Applications: Spectroscopy; Atomic physics
Naval Applications: Spectroscopy; Highly accurate timekeeping

Roald Hoffman - (Chemistry, 1981)
For his theory concerning the course of chemical reactions
General Applications: Biochemistry; Pharmacology; Chemical engineering
Naval Applications: Biochemistry; Chemical engineering; Naval medicine

David H Hubel - (Medicine, 1981)
For discoveries concerning the "visual system"
General Applications: Sensory physiology; Developmental physiology
Naval Applications: Human factors engineering

Kenneth Wilson - (Physics, 1982)
For his theory of critical phenomena in connection with phase transitions.
General Applications: Oceanic and atmospheric science; Particle physics
Naval Applications: Oceanic and atmospheric science; Hydrodynamics

William A. Fowler - (Physics, 1983)
For theoretical and experimental studies of nuclear reactions of importance in the formation of the chemical elements in the universe.
General Applications: Cosmology; Nuclear chemistry
Naval Applications: Nuclear chemistry

Jerome Karle - (Chemistry, 1985)
For outstanding achievements in the development of direct methods for the determination of crystal structures.
General Applications: Biochemistry; Chemical engineering
Naval Applications: Biochemistry; Chemical engineering

Herbert A. Hauptman - (Chemistry, 1985)
For outstanding achievements in the development of direct methods for the determination of crystal structures.
General Applications: Biochemistry; Chemical engineering
Naval Applications: Biochemistry; Chemical engineering

Dudley Herschbach - (Chemistry, 1986)
For contributions concerning the dynamics of chemical elementary processes.
General Applications: Chemical engineering; Mechanical engineering
Naval Applications: Chemical engineering, Mechanical engineering

Yuan T. Lee - (Chemistry, 1986)
For contributions concerning the dynamics of chemical elementary processes.
General Applications: Chemical engineering; Mechanical engineering
Naval Applications: Chemical engineering, Mechanical engineering

John C. Polanyi - (Chemistry, 1986)
For contributions concerning the dynamics of chemical elementary processes.
General Applications: Chemical engineering; Mechanical engineering
Naval Applications: Chemical engineering, Mechanical engineering

Hans Dehmelt - (Physics, 1989)
For contributions of importance for the development of atomic precision spectroscopy
General Applications: Quantum physics; Communications; Navigation; Nanotechnology
Naval Applications: Space communications; Navigation; Precision timekeeping

Norman F. Ramsey - (Physics, 1989)
For contributions of importance for the development of atomic precision spectroscopy
General Applications: Quantum physics; Communications; Navigation; Nanotechnology
Naval Applications: Space communications; Navigation; Precision timekeeping

Rudolph A. Marcus - (Chemistry, 1992)
For contributions to the theory of electron transfer reactions in chemical systems.
General Applications: Chemical engineering; Chemiluminescence; Fuel production; Polymer science
Naval Applications: Material science; Corrosion resistance

George Olah - (Chemistry, 1994)
For his contribution to carbocation chemistry.
General Applications: Chemical engineering; Organic chemistry; Fuel production
Naval Applications: Chemical engineering; Organic chemistry; Fuel production

Richard E. Smalley - (Chemistry, 1996)
For discovery of carbon atoms bound in the form of a ball.
General Applications: Material science
Naval Applications: Material science

William D. Phillips - (Physics, 1997)
For development of methods to cool and trap atoms with laser light.
General Applications: Particle physics; Nanotechnology; Precision timekeeping
Naval Applications: Precision timekeeping; Navigation

Walter Kohn - (Chemistry, 1998)
For development of the density-functional theory
General Applications: Quantum chemistry; Chemcial engineering
Naval Applications: Chemical engineering

Daniel C. Tsui - (Physics, 1998)
For discovery of a new form of quantum fluid with fractionally charged excitations.
General Applications: Particle physics
Naval Applications:Quantum computing

Ahmed Zewail - (Chemistry, 1999)
For his studies of the transition states of chemical reactions using femtosecond spectroscopy.
General Applications: Physical chemistry; Material science
Naval Applications: Materials by design?

Herbert Kromer - (Physics, 2000)
For developing semiconductor heterostructures in high-speed- and opto-electronics.
General Applications: Electronics; Photonics
Naval Applications: Advanced sensors?; Advanced autonomous systems?; Information storage and retrieval; Information transmission

Alan J. Heeger - (Chemistry, 2000)
For the discovery and development of conductive polymers
General Applications: Display technologies; Molecular electronics
Naval Applications: Mulitfunctional electronics for intelligent Naval sensors?; Decision support systems; Nanoelectronics

Alan G. MacDiarmid - (Chemistry, 2000)
For the discovery and development of conductive polymers
General Applications: Display technologies; Molecular electronics
Naval Applications:Mulitfunctional electronics for intelligent Naval sensors?; Decision support systems; Nanoelectronics

Hideki Shirakawa- (Chemistry, 2000)
For the discovery and development of conductive polymers
General Applications: Display technologies; Molecular electronics
Naval Applications:Mulitfunctional electronics for intelligent Naval sensors?; Decision support systems; Nanoelectronics

Eric Kandel - (Medicine, 2000)
For discoveries concerning signal transduction in the nervous system.
General Applications:Neurology
Naval Applications: Biomimetics; Signal processing; Human-machine interface

Eric Cornell - (Physics, 2001)
For the achievement of Bose-Einstein condensation in dilute gases of alkali atoms, and for early fundamental studies of the properties of the condensates.
General Applications: Timekeeping; High bandwidth communications; Atom lasers
Naval Applications: Precision timekeeping; Highly precise geolocation; High bandwidth secure communication

Carl Wieman - (Physics, 2001)
For the achievement of Bose-Einstein condensation in dilute gases of alkali atoms, and for early fundamental studies of the properties of the condensates.
General Applications: Timekeeping; High bandwidth communications; Atom lasers
Naval Applications: Precision timekeeping; Highly precise geolocation; High bandwidth secure communication

Wolfgang Ketterle - (Physics, 2001)
For the achievement of Bose-Einstein condensation in dilute gases of alkali atoms, and for early fundamental studies of the properties of the condensates.
General Applications: Timekeeping; High bandwidth communications; Atom lasers
Naval Applications: Precision timekeeping; Highly precise geolocation; High bandwidth secure communication
View a video-interview with Wolfang Ketterle
(you may need Windows Media Player to view) -- Transcript of video