The Story of an Academic Giant
In the world of academia, there is a recognized passage that countless follow, but at which very few truly excel. There are but a comparative handful of truly memorable minds in every generation, and these are the people that make the world a better place. These are the finders of great theories or major paradigms, never seen before technology, and life-saving medicine. Dr. Joseph Schlessinger is one such great mind.
During his academic career, he has accomplished more than a ten other scientists put together. Like most of the world’s leading researchers, he had an impressive start, first receiving his Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and Physics in 1968 from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, followed by a Masters in Chemistry in 1970 from the same university. The young Schlessinger glided without effort through those early years of academia, graduating magna cum laude both times.
Staying firmly dedicated to his goal, he was immediately accepted to the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, where he received his Ph.D. in 1974, after submitting his successful thesis work on “Study of Chemical and Biological Systems by Circular Polarization of Fluorescence.” As a postdoc fellow between 1974 and 1976, he began his research enthusiastically at Cornell’s Department of Chemistry and Applied Physics.
After a rewarding postdoc experience at Cornell University, he spent the next few years at increasingly more important pursuits, including a position at the National Institutes of Health, followed by a long tenure at the Weizmann Institute that ended in his appointment as full professor in the Department of Chemical Immunology.
More articles to come…