Profile of Jacob N. Israelachvili

摘要

Biochemical engineer Jacob Israelachvili can occasionally be coaxed into giving after-dinner talks about his favorite hobby, the history and philosophy of science, based on his fountain of knowledge on this subject. Since his school days, he has enjoyed reading historical accounts and biographies about history's greatest scientific minds, including renaissance men like Galileo, scoundrels like Benjamin Thomson (aka Count Rumford) who mixed science with political intrigue, and quiet and underappreciated thinkers like Josiah Gibbs, the first American to receive a Ph.D. in engineering and one of Israelachvili's favorites. All these scientists have provided him with a sense of amazement and inspiration, not to mention many entertaining tales.