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Scientific Biographies

Science is a human pursuit. Meet some of the people who have contributed to the history of chemistry, chemical engineering, and the life sciences.
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Joseph John “J. J.” Thomson

Working at the intersection of physics and chemistry, Thomson identified the electron and developed a groundbreaking early atomic model.

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Portrait of J. J. Thomson.
Science History Institute

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Theodore William Richards
1868 - 1928
Undated photograph of Lee Riley
Lee W. Riley
1949 - 2022
Rutherford with a thick mustache wearing a dark three-piece suit
Ernest Rutherford
1871 - 1937
Albert Sabin demonstrates how the oral vaccine for polio is given to children.
Albert Bruce Sabin
1906 - 1993
Jonas Salk
1914 - 1995
sepia toned portrait of a man in coat and riding boots
Ignaz Semmelweis
1818 - 1865
woman seated writing notes
Maxine Singer
1931 - 2024
color photo of a man with a baby on his shoulders
Calvin Ross Sperling
1957 - 1995
Portrait of Jokichi Takamine
Jokichi Takamine
1854 - 1922
black and white portrait of a man wearing a bowtie
Thomas Washington Talley
1868 - 1952
Joseph John “J. J.” Thomson
1856 - 1940
James Watson and Francis Crick
James Watson
1928 - 2025
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