J. Fraser Stoddart was a professor at Northwestern University for 16 years who shared the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 2016 for advancements in the field of nanotechnology, which involves the manipulation of individual atoms and molecules.
In the early 1990s, Stoddart worked on the development of rotaxane, a dumbbell-shaped molecule that can be used as an artificial molecular machine. His work introducing this mechanical bond into chemical compounds paved the way for scientists to create artificial molecular switches and motors that have the potential for use in fields from health care to technology.
A prolific writer and teacher, Stoddart authored more than 1,300 scientific papers and oversaw more than 500 graduate and postdoctoral students.
“Fraser was a visionary with an infectious passion for chemistry and a larger-than-life presence that inspired everyone around him,” said Omar K. Farha, chairman of Northwestern’s chemistry department and a professor of chemistry. “His passion for chemistry was evident in everything he did.”
Stoddart, 82, died of cardiac arrest on Dec. 30 in a hotel in Australia while on vacation, said his daughter, Alison. Most recently a Hong Kong resident, Stoddart also had a home in Chicago’s River North neighborhood and previously lived in Evanston.
Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, James Fraser Stoddart grew up on a farm just south of Edinburgh and commuted to a day school in Edinburgh, his daughter said. His interest in science stemmed from his father’s scientific approach to farming, his daughter said. Stoddart was also interested in puzzles — anything from jigsaw puzzles to building kits like Meccano construction sets, she said.
After earning bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in chemistry from the University of Edinburgh, Stoddart worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada. In 1970, he returned to the British Isles, working first as a research fellow and then as a faculty lecturer, or assistant professor, at the University of Sheffield.
By the late 1970s, Stoddart had become intrigued with the idea of what would become nanotechnology. He briefly worked at a corporate lab in Runcorn, England, where he investigated technically interlocked molecules. In 1981, he returned to the University of Sheffield, where he was made an associate professor. In 1990, he moved to the University of Birmingham, also in England, to chair its organic chemistry department. He headed the school of chemistry there from 1993 until 1997.
While in Birmingham, Stoddart developed a rotaxane molecule through an intricate process threading a molecular ring onto a thin molecular axle and then showing that the ring could move along the axle. Stoddart’s work allowed others to create artificial molecular switches and motors, which could be controlled chemically, electrically and optically.
Ultimately, Stoddart’s work allowed scientists to construct molecular machines that act like muscles, and can be manipulated accordingly. While still early in development, such devices in theory could be used to battle disease, in lifesaving therapeutic systems, for example.
In 1997, Stoddart left the University of Birmingham to take a job as a professor at the University of California-Los Angeles.
In 2007, Stoddart and his team of 20 researchers left UCLA to work at Northwestern as part of what the Tribune reported was the university’s drive to become the undisputed leader in the emerging field of nanotechnology. Stoddart told the Tribune that he was a “scientific nomad” and touted Northwestern as “the magnet drawing people into nanotechnology.”
In 2016, Stoddart was awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry, sharing it with French chemist Jean-Pierre Sauvage, whose work in 1983 involved bonding two molecules mechanically rather than chemically, and Dutch chemist Bernard L. “Ben” Feringa, whose research has focused on molecular rotary motors. The three were cited for developing molecules “with controllable movements, which can perform a task when energy is added,” the Nobel Foundation announced in a release.
Stoddart and his fellow 2016 chemistry Nobel laureates “have taken molecular systems out of equilibrium’s stalemate and into energy-filled states in which their movements can be controlled,” the foundation said. “In terms of development, the molecular motor is at the same stage as the electric motor was in the 1830s, when scientists displayed various spinning cranks and wheels, unaware that they would lead to washing machines, fans and food processors. Molecular machines will most likely be used in the development of things such as new materials, sensors and energy storage systems.”
Stoddart said the Nobel award took him by surprise.
“This has been going on for 22 years or something, and I really reached the point where I didn’t think it would ever happen,” he told the Tribune in 2016.
Stoddart’s Northwestern colleagues praised his pioneering work, as well as his abilities as a communicator and mentor.
“He was a creative genius when it came to chemistry,” said Chad Mirkin, a Northwestern chemistry professor. “His passion for science and command of the English language were unmatched. He saw things that others didn’t, and this led to the discovery of the mechanical bond, which became the basis for much of the molecular machine work being pursued today. Few move the needle at storied research universities like Northwestern — his impact was immediate and will be felt for decades.”
Farha lauded Stoddart’s ability to inspire others, simplify complex ideas and create a collaborative, uplifting environment.
“Fraser combined brilliance, humility and genuine care for others, building a global community united by respect and love for chemistry,” Farha said. “He excelled at pioneering new fields, inspiring curiosity through storytelling and mentoring future generations of scientists.”
Stoddart left Northwestern in 2023 to take a job as a professor of chemistry at the University of Hong Kong.
Stoddart’s wife, Norma, a biochemist, died in 2004. Stoddart is also survived by another daughter, Fiona McCubbin; and five grandchildren.
A funeral service will take place in February in Edinburgh.
Bob Goldsborough is a freelance reporter.
