Mildred Dresselhaus

Mildred Dresselhaus
Born	Mildred Spiewak (1930-11-11) 11 November 1930 Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
Died	20 February 2017(2017-02-20) (aged 86)
Other names	"Queen of Carbon Science"
Occupation(s)	Physicist, materials scientist, nanotechnology pioneer
Known for	Research on carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, graphite; leadership in scientific societies; advocacy for women in science
Notable work	Authoritative textbook on fullerenes and carbon nanotubes

Mildred Spiewak Dresselhaus (born Spiewak; November 11, 1930 – February 20, 2017), often hailed as the "Queen of Carbon Science," was a distinguished American physicist, materials scientist, and nanotechnology pioneer. She held the positions of institute professor and professor of both physics and electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dresselhaus also led the American Physical Society as its president, chaired the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and served as director of science at the U.S. Department of Energy during the Clinton administration.

Her groundbreaking investigations into carbon nanotubes and related materials garnered her numerous prestigious awards, such as the Presidential Medal of Freedom, National Medal of Science, Enrico Fermi Award, Kavli Prize, and Vannevar Bush Award.

Early life and education

Born on November 11, 1930, in Brooklyn, New York City, Dresselhaus was the daughter of Polish Jewish immigrants Ethel (Teichtheil) and Meyer Spiewak. The hardships of the Great Depression significantly affected her family, leading her to contribute financially through piecework assembly and summer employment in a zipper factory. From a young age, she acquired teaching experience by tutoring a student with special needs.

Her passion for science was nurtured by visits to New York’s free-access institutions like the American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Alongside her brother Irving Spiewak, she received scholarships to attend the Greenwich House Music School, which expanded her engagement with intellectual and artistic fields. Growing up in the Bronx, she excelled academically at Hunter College High School, where assisting classmates further honed her instructional abilities.

Experience at Hunter College

Dresselhaus studied at Hunter College in New York during a time when male students benefiting from the G.I. Bill began enrolling in what had been a predominantly female institution. She observed that many male peers sought her assistance in science courses, reinforcing her conviction that scientific disciplines were not limited by gender. Motivated by professor and future Nobel laureate Rosalyn Yalow, Dresselhaus pursued graduate fellowships and completed her undergraduate liberal arts degree in 1951.

After college

Following her undergraduate studies, she undertook postgraduate research at the University of Cambridge supported by a Fulbright Fellowship and earned a Master’s degree from Radcliffe College. In 1958, she obtained her PhD from the University of Chicago, where she studied under Nobel laureate Enrico Fermi. Subsequently, she spent two years as a postdoctoral researcher at Cornell University before joining Lincoln Lab as a staff member.

Career and legacy

Dresselhaus dedicated 57 years to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, initially appointed as Abby Rockefeller Mauzé Visiting Professor of electrical engineering in 1967. She secured tenure in 1968 and became a professor of physics in 1983. In 1985, she was honored as MIT’s first female institute professor. In 1994, she co-authored a letter addressing gender bias at MIT that helped initiate institutional reforms.

Her innovative research on novel compounds established her reputation worldwide; she authored an authoritative textbook on fullerenes and carbon nanotubes. This foundational work paved the way for Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov’s discovery of graphene, which earned them the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics.

In recognition of her contributions to understanding electronic properties of materials and advancing women in science, Dresselhaus received the National Medal of Science in 1990. Other accolades include the 2005 Heinz Award for Technology, Economy and Employment; the 2008 Oersted Medal; the 2012 Enrico Fermi Award; that same year’s Kavli Prize for nanostructure physics; the 2014 Presidential Medal of Freedom; induction into the US National Inventors Hall of Fame; and the 2015 IEEE Medal of Honor.

Between 2000 and 2001, she led the Office of Science at the U.S. Department of Energy. She chaired the board governing the American Institute of Physics from 2003 to 2008, served as president of both the American Physical Society and as the first female president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and acted as treasurer for the National Academy of Sciences.

Among her protégés are prominent materials scientists like Deborah Chung and physicists including Nai-Chang Yeh and Greg Timp.

Several theoretical models bear her name: The Hicks-Dresselhaus Model initiated advances in low-dimensional thermoelectrics; the Saito-Fujita-Dresselhaus Model predicted band structures for carbon nanotubes. The Dresselhaus effect describes spin–orbit interaction modeled by her husband Gene Dresselhaus.

A strong advocate for women in physics, she organized MIT’s inaugural Women's Forum in 1971. The American Physical Society established the Millie Dresselhaus Fund to encourage women pursuing physics careers. In 2017, she was featured in a General Electric campaign promoting women in STEM fields.

In recognition of her impact on technical innovation within IEEE disciplines, IEEE inaugurated the IEEE Mildred Dresselhaus Medal in 2019 to honor exceptional contributions.

Contributions to scientific knowledge

Dresselhaus gained distinction for her pioneering investigations into graphite, graphite intercalation compounds, fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, and thermoelectric materials with reduced dimensionality. Her research group made extensive use of techniques such as electronic band structure characterization, Raman spectroscopy, and the photophysical properties of carbon-based nanostructures. These efforts paved the way for innovations involving thin graphite layers, enabling the incorporation of electronic components into everyday products including apparel and mobile devices.

Following the introduction of laser technology in the 1960s, Dresselhaus employed lasers in magneto-optical studies, which contributed to the development of an updated theoretical framework describing graphite’s electronic behavior. A significant portion of her scientific focus was directed toward 'buckyballs' (fullerenes) and graphene, with particular emphasis on understanding the electrical conductivity of carbon nanotubes and improving thermoelectric efficiency in nanowire systems.

Personal life

Dresselhaus was initially married to physicist Frederick Reif. She wed Gene Dresselhaus in 1958, a prominent theorist credited with identifying the Dresselhaus effect. Together they raised four children—Marianne, Carl, Paul, and Eliot—and were grandparents to five grandchildren.

Honors and awards

• Honorary Doctorate of Science, ETH Zurich, 2015
• IEEE Medal of Honor (first woman awarded), 2015
• Inducted into National Inventors Hall of Fame, 2014
• Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, 2014
• Honorary Doctorate of Science, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 2013
• Von Hippel Award from Materials Research Society, 2013
• Kavli Prize in Nanoscience laureate, 2012
• Enrico Fermi Award (second woman awarded), 2012
• Vannevar Bush Award (second woman awarded), 2009
• ACS Award for Encouraging Women in Chemical Sciences, 2009
• Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize by American Physical Society, 2008
• Oersted Medal recipient, 2007
• L'Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science honoree, 2007
• Heinz Award for Technology, Economy and Employment, 2005
• IEEE Founders Medal awardee, 2004
• Karl Taylor Compton Medal for Leadership in Physics from American Institute of Physics, 2001
• Medal of Achievement in Carbon Science and Technology from American Carbon Society, 2001
• Honorary membership at Ioffe Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, 2000
• National Materials Advancement Award from Federation of Materials Societies, 2000
• Honorary Doctorate from Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium), 2000
• Nicholson Medal from American Physical Society, 2000
• Millennial Lifetime Achievement Award from Weizmann Institute, 2000
• SGL Carbon Award by American Carbon Society, 1997
• Member of American Philosophical Society since 1995
• Honorary Doctorate of Science from Princeton University, 1992
• National Medal of Science recipient, 1990
• Member of U.S. National Academy of Sciences since 1985
• Member of American Academy of Arts and Sciences since 1974
• Society of Women Engineers Achievement Award winner, 1977
• Fellow of Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters

Selected publications

• {{cite journal

author1=M.S.Dresselhaus author2 = G.Dresselhaus author3 = R.Saito author4=A.Jorio title = Raman Spectroscopy of Carbon Nanotubes journal=Physics Reports volume =409 issue =2 page =47 year =2005 url=http://mgm.mit.edu/papers/i1049.pdf doi =10.1016/j.physrep.2004.10.006 }}

• {{cite journal

author1=M.S.Dresselhaus author2 = H.Dai name-list-style = amp title = Carbon Nanotubes: Continued Innovations and Challenges journal=MRS Bulletin volume =29 issue =4 page =237 year =2004 doi =10.1557/mrs2004.74 }}

• {{cite journal

author1=.J.Heremans author2=M.S.Dresselhaus name-list-style = amp title = Low Dimensional Thermoelectricity journal=C.R.C Handbook - Molecular and Nano-electronics: Concepts, Challenges, and Designs year =2005 volume =108 issue =4 page =609 doi =10.12693/APhysPolA.108.609 }}

• {{cite journal

author=M.S.Dresselhaus, R.Saito and A.Jorio title="Semiconducting Carbon Nanotubes" journal="Proceedings of ICPS-27" year="2004" url=http://mgm.mit.edu/papers/y1091.pdf }}

• {{cite journal

author1=S.G.Chou author2=.F.Plentz-Filho author3=.J.Jiang author4=.R.Saito author5=.D.Nezich author6=.H.B.Ribeiro author7=.A.Jorio author8=.M.A.Pimenta author9=.G.Samsonidze author10=A.P.Santos author11=M.Zheng author12=.G.B.Onoa author13=.E.D.Semke author14=.G.Dresselhaus author15=.M.S.Dresselhaus title="Photo-excited Electron Relaxation Process Observed in Photoluminescence Spectroscopy of DNA-wrapped Carbon Nanotube" journal=Physical Review Letters volume="94" issue="12" page="127402" year="2005" doi="10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.127402" }}

• {{cite journal

author=M.S.Dresselhaus title="Nanotubes: a step in synthesis" journal=Nature Materials volume="3" pages="665–6" year="2004" doi="10.1038/nmat1232" }}

• {{cite journal

author=M.S.Dresselhaus title="Applied Physics: Nanotube Antennas" journal=Nature Materials volume="432" pages="959–60" year="2004" doi="10.1038/432959a" }}

• {{cite journal

author1=S.B.Fagan author2=A.G.Souza-Filho author3=.J.Mendes-Filho author4=P.Corio author5=M.S.Dresselhaus title="Electronic Properties of Ag- and CrO3-filled Single-wall Carbon Nanotubes" journal=Chemical Physics Letters volume="406" issue="1–3" page="54" year="2005" url=http://mgm.mit.edu/papers/w1115.pdf doi="10.1016/j.cplett.2005.02.091" }}

• {{cite journal

author1 Y.A.Kim author2 H.Muramatsu author3 T.Hayashi author4 M.Endo author5 M.Terrones author6 M.S.Dresselhaus title Thermal Stability and Structural Changes of Double-walled Carbon Nanotubes by Heat Treatment journal=Chemical Physics Letters volume="398" issue="1–3" page="87" year="2004" url=http://mgm.mit.edu/papers/b1094.pdf doi="10.1016/j.cplett.2004.09.024" }}

• {{cite journal

author1 G.Samsonidze author2 R.Saito author3 N.Kobayashi author4 A.Gruneis author5 J.Jiang author6 A.Jorio author7 S.G.Chou author8 G.Dresselhaus author9 M.S.Dresselhaus title Family Behavior of the Optical Transition Energies in Single-wall Carbon Nanotubes of Smaller Diameters journal=Applied Physics Letters volume="85" issue="23" page="5703" year="2004" url=http://mgm.mit.edu/papers/w1089.pdf doi="10.1063/1.1829160" }}

• {{cite journal

author1 S.G.Chou author2 H.B.Ribeiro author3 E.Barros author4 A.P.Santos author5 D.Nezich author6 G.Samsonidze author7 C.Fantini author8 M.A.Pimenta author9 A.Jorio author10 F.Pletz-Filho author11 M.S.Dresselhaus author12 G.Dresselhaus author13 R.Saito author14 M.Zheng author15 G.B.Onoa author16 E.D.Semke author17 A.K.Swan author18 B.B.Goldberg author19 M.S.Unlu title Optical Characterization of DNA-wrapped Carbon Nanotube Hybrids journal=Chemical Physics Letters volume="397" issue="4–6" page="296" year="2004" url=http://mgm.mit.edu/papers/q1083.pdf doi="10.1016/j.cplett.2004.08.117" }}

• {{cite journal

author1 E.I.Rogacheva author2 O.N.Nashchekina author3 A.V.Meriuts author4 S.G.Lyubchenko author5 O.Vekhov author6 M.S.Dresselhaus author7 G.Dresselhaus title Quantum Size Effects in PbTe/SnTe/PbTe Heterostructures journal=Applied Physics Letters volume="86" issue="6" page="063103" year="2005" doi="10.1063/1.1862338"}}

• {{cite journal

author1 H.Son author2 Y.Hori author3 S.G.Chou author4 D.Nezich author5 G.Samsonidze author6 E.Barros author7 G.Dresselhaus author8 M.S.Dresselhaus title Environment Effects on the Raman Spectra of Individual Single-wall Carbon Nanotubes: Suspended and Grown on Polycrystalline Silicon journal=Applied Physics Letters volume="85" issue="20" page="4744" year="2004" url=http://mgm.mit.edu/papers/m1079.pdf doi="10.1063/1.1818739"}}

• {{cite journal

author1 C.Fantini author2 A.Jorio author3 M.Souza author4 A.J.Mai Jr. author5 M.S.Strano author6 M.A.Pimenta author7 M.S.Dresselhaus title Optical Transition Energies and Radial Breathing Modes for HiPco Carbon Nanotubes from Raman Spectroscopy journal=Physical Review Letters volume="93" issue="14" page="147406" year="2004" url=http://mgm.mit.edu/papers/z1066.pdf doi ="10 .1103 / PhysRevLett .93 .147406"}}

• {{cite journal

author1 S.B.Cronin author2 A.K.Swan author3 M.S.Unlu author4 B.B.Goldberg author5 M.S.Dresselhaus author6 M.Tinkham title Measuring Uniaxial Strain in Individual Single-wall Carbon Nanotubes: Resonance Raman Spectra of AFM Modified SWNTs journal=Physical Review Letters volume ="93" issue ="16" page ="167401" year ="2004" url=http://mgm.mit.edu/papers/p1056.pdf doi ="10 .1103 / PhysRevLett .93 .167401"}}

Related links

• Video interview with Mildred Dresselhaus on Freeview by the Vega Science Trust
• Millie Dresselhaus Endowment
• Official homepage
• Archived version of Dresselhaus's MIT profile
• Mildred Dresselhaus Documentary from Makers: Women Who Make America