Dr. William Goddard

Biography

William Goddard, III is the Charles Mary Ferkel Professor at California Institute of Technology, specializing in Chemistry, Materials Science, and Applied Physics. He obtained his B.S. from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1960 and his Ph.D. from Caltech in 1965. Goddard's career has included numerous significant positions: he served as a Noyes Research Fellow from 1964 to 1966, followed by a Noyes Research Instructor until 1967, and subsequently held various professorial roles culminating in his current position as Ferkel Professor. His research focuses on developing methods in quantum mechanics (QM), including force fields (FF), reactive dynamics (ReaxFF RD), electron dynamics (eFF), molecular dynamics (MD), and Monte Carlo (MC) predictions in chemical, catalytic, and biochemical materials systems. Notably, he is a pioneer in creating new methodologies for quantum mechanics applied to materials and reactive force fields for multiscale reactive simulations. His recent research interest also includes areas such as nanotechnology, fuel cells, batteries, and photoelectrocatalysis. Goddard's work has contributed significantly to the field and he is recognized for his achievements by being awarded the Horizon Prize by the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Research Interests