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Fraser Stoddart

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Scientist

The Resume

    (May 24, 1942- )
    Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
    Birth name was James Fraser Stoddart
    Professor of Chemistry at Northwestern University
    Specializes in supramolecular chemistry and nanotechnology
    Published over 1,000 research papers
    Holds ten patents
    Knighted for services to science (2006)
    Co-recipient, with Ben Feringa and Jean-Pierre Sauvage, of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for pioneering work in the design and synthesis of molecular machines

Why he might be annoying:

    The Institute for Scientific Information predicted that he would win the Nobel Prize in 2003, but were wrong. (Especially annoying if you were relying on the ISI’s predictions to make picks for your lab’s Nobel Prize pool.)
    A secretary for Britain’s Science and Engineering Research Council said, ‘Fraser Stoddart’s grant proposals were always thought a bit ‘way out’ by the mainstream synthetic chemists. I don’t think we ever gave him a grant.’
    Cracked.com listed nanotechnology running amok as the most likely cause of a real-life zombie apocalypse. So when the brain-dead shell of a human being bites you so the nanobots can abandon its decaying body and take over yours, you’ll know who to curse. (At least until the nanobots rewire your brain so you’ll like the situation.)

Why he might not be annoying:

    At celebrations of birthdays, successful PhD defenses by grad students, and other events, he and his wife would dance a highland fling.
    He said he plans to use his Nobel Prize money to help others: ‘One of the things that drives academia in this country is philanthropy. What I want to do, of course, is give back.’
    His work has potential applications in ‘areas ranging from drug delivery to smart materials.’ (But then, it’s not like they’re going to highlight the zombie apocalypse aspects of the research.)

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 6 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 68 Votes: 64.71% Annoying