Charles M. Lieber

Professor Charles M. Lieber is a leading scientist in nanoscience and chemistry. He holds a B.A. from Franklin and Marshall College (1981) and a Ph.D. from Stanford University (1985). Following postdoctoral research at Caltech (1985-1987), he held faculty positions at Columbia University (1987-1991) and Harvard University (1991-2023), where he served as Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology (2015-2020) and was named a University Professor (2017). He is currently a Professor within the Institute of Materials Research in Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School.

Professor Charles M. Lieber is a member of the US National Academies of Sciences, Medicine, and Arts & Sciences, and a Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. His numerous awards include the Wolf Prize, Welch Award, Willard Gibbs Medal, and the Friendship Award (China). Thomson Reuters ranked him the top chemist worldwide for 2000-2010 based on citation impact. In 2017, he was named a University Professor by Harvard University, the highest honor awarded by the university. His research focuses on nanomaterials synthesis, nanoelectronics/photonics, nano-bioelectronics, and brain science. He has published over 420 papers and holds over 100 patents.

For more information, please visit:  https://cmlresearch.org

1981-1985 Stanford University, Chemistry, Ph.D.

1977-1981 Franklin and Marshall College, Chemistry, B.A.

05/2025-present Chair Professor,  Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School (Tsinghua SIGS)

02/2023 Retired from Harvard

2017-2023 Joshua and Beth Friedman University Professor, Harvard University

2015-2020 Chair, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University

1999-2017 Mark Hyman Professor of Chemistry, Harvard University

1991-1999 Professor of Chemistry, Harvard University

1990-1991 Associate Professor of Chemistry, Columbia University

1987-1990 Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Columbia University

1985-1987 Postdoctoral Research, California Institute of Technology

National Academy of Medicine, Elected Member (2017)

Chinese Academy of Science, Elected Foreign Member (2015)

National Academy of Inventors, Elected Member (2013)

American Chemical Society, Fellow (Inaugural Class, 2009)

Chinese Chemical Society, Honorary Fellow (2009)

Materials Research Society, Elected Fellow (2008)

Institute of Physics, Elected Fellow (2004)

National Academy of Sciences, Elected Member (2004)

American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Elected Fellow (2002)

World Technology Network, Elected Fellow (2002)

International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, Elected Fellow (2000)

American Association for the Advancement of Science, Elected Fellow (1996)

American Physical Society, Elected Fellow (1996)

NIH, Postdoctoral Research Fellow (1985-1987)

Electrochemical Society, Joseph W. Richards Fellow (1985)

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Research Fellow (1990-1992)

David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Fellow (1988-1993)

Nankai University, Honorary Professor (2014)

Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Honorary Professor (2014)

University of Science and Technology Beijing, Honorary Professor (2011)

Peking University, Honorary Professor (2008)

Tsinghua University, Honorary Professor (2002)

University of Science and Technology of China, Honorary Professor (2002)

Fudan University, Honorary Professor (2002)

Zhejiang University, Honorary Professor (2002)

Chemistry and physics of materials with an emphasis on rational synthesis, hierarchical assembly and fundamental physical properties of nanoscale wires; nano-bioelectronics with a focus on real-time, ultra-sensitive detectors, revolutionary tools for single cell measurements, and three-dimensional innervation of synthetic tissue and organs; brain science with an emphasis on development of the new paradigms for long-term mapping and modulation of neural activity in live animals, studies of fundamental problems in neuroscience, including memory, learning and cognition, and the development of and translation of implants for the treatment of disease. Novel nano-bioelectronic interfaces, brain machine interfaces and the intersection of brain science with artificial intelligence represent active areas of interest expected to impact in significant ways both the treatment human diseas and human intelligence in the future.

Lieber has published over 420 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals. His original work has had a defining influence on the field of nanoscience and nanotechnology, where his publications have been cited overall more than 106,800 times, his top 10 papers cited more than 29,500 times, and his h- index (impact factor) is 144.  Based on his citation impact scores, Lieber was ranked #1 in Chemistry for the decade 2000-2010 by Thomson Reuters. 

Welch Award in Chemistry (2019);

John Gamble Kirkwood Award, Yale University (2018);

Director’s Pioneer Award, National Institutes of Health (2017&2008);

MRS Von Hippel Award (2016);

Remsen Award (2016);

Nano Research Award, Tsinghua University Press/Springer (2013);

IEEE Nanotechnology Pioneer Award (2013);  

Willard Gibbs Medal (2013);  

Wolf Prize in Chemistry (2012);  

Fred Kavli Distinguished Lectureship in Nanoscience, Materials Research Society (2010);  

Friendship Award, People’s Republic of China (2009);

Inorganic Nanoscience Award, ACS Division of Inorganic Chemistry (2009);

Einstein Award, Chinese Academy of Sciences (2008);

NBIC Research Excellence Award, University of Pennsylvania (2007);

Nanotech Briefs Nano 50 Award (2005);

World Technology Award in Materials (2004 & 2003);

ACS Award in the Chemistry of Materials (2004);

Scientific American 50 Award in Nanotechnology and Molecular Electronics (2003);

Nelson W. Taylor Award, Pennsylvania State University (2003);

New York Intellectual Property Law Association Inventor of the Year Award (2003);

APS McGroddy Prize for New Materials (2003);

Harrison Howe Award, University of Rochester (2002);

MRS Medal (2002);

Foresight Institute Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology (2001);

NSF Creativity Award (1996);

Leo Hendrik Baekeland Award, American Chemical Society (1995);

George Ledlie Prize, Harvard University (1994-1995);

MRS Outstanding Young Investigator Award (1993);

ACS Award in Pure Chemistry  (1992);  

Denkewalter Prize, Loyola University Chicago (1992);  

Camille and Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award (1990-1995);

Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship (1990-1992);

Wilson Prize (1990);

NSF Presidential Young Investigator Award (1988-1993);  

David and Lucile Packard Fellowship  (1988-1993);  

Distinguished New Faculty Award, Dreyfus Foundation(1987);  

NIH Postdoctoral Research Fellow (1985-1987);

Joseph W. Richards Fellow of the Electrochemical Society (1985);

American Institute of Chemists Distinguished Senior Award (1981);

Theodore Saulnier Research Award (1981);

Pentathlon Medal for Excellence in Chemistry (1981).