On Mar. 14, 2007, the Priestley Medal was awarded to George M. Whitesides by the American Chemical Society “to recognize distinguished services to chemistry,” the American Chemical Society’s most prestigious award.

Whitesides, a professor of chemistry at Harvard University, has had a long and varied career in chemistry, making contributions to areas as diverse as nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, organic synthesis, materials and surface science, microfluidics, and nanotechnology.