Dr. Alexander Pines

Professor

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Biography

Beloved colleague Alex Pines passed away in 2024. He was the Glenn T. Seaborg Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, and a Senior Scientist in the Materials Sciences Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Pines completed his undergraduate studies in mathematics and chemistry in Israel before moving to the United States in 1968. He earned his Ph.D. in chemical physics from MIT in 1972 and joined the Berkeley faculty shortly thereafter. Throughout his career, he received numerous awards and honors, including the Michael Faraday Medal from the Royal Society and the Wolf Prize in Chemistry. His research in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) established him as a pioneer in developing applications for NMR spectroscopy. Pines' work focused on multiple-quantum spectroscopy and innovative pulse sequence techniques that expanded the capability and applicability of NMR in diverse fields, including biomedicine and materials science. He made significant contributions through novel methods like laser-polarized NMR and ex situ mobile MRI, impacting both theoretical and practical aspects of molecular imaging and material characterization.

Research Interests

Requirements for University of California, Berkeley

Doctorate Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3
GRE Subject
Overall Score
Required:500
Overall
Required:500
TOEFL
Total
Required:90
IELTS
Overall
Required:7
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree or recognized equivalent Preparation comparable to undergraduate major at Berkeley in Mathematics or Applied Mathematics 2 full years lower-division work (Calculus, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Multivariable Calculus) 8 one-semester upper-division courses (Real Analysis, Complex Analysis, Abstract Algebra, Linear Algebra)
Application Checklist
  • Graduate Application
  • Statement of Purpose
  • Personal History Statement
  • Three Letters of Recommendation
  • Unofficial Transcripts
  • C.V./Resume
  • Course and Textbook List
Specialization Notes

The Mathematics Subject GRE is required for the Fall 2026 admissions cycle. General GRE is optional.