William A. Goddard, III

Prof. William A. Goddard, III got his PhD in Engineering Science from California Institute of Technology, and has been working there since 1965, where he founded Materials and Process Simulation Center (MSC). Goddard has been a pioneer in developing several well-known theories such as Generalized Valence Bond, UFF/Dreiding Force Field, Reactive Force Field (ReaxFF), Electron Dynamics Force Field (eFF), XYGJ-OS density functional theory and etc. He applied these methods in the fields of materials, chemistry, physics and biology, and developed several frequently-used simulation softwares, such as Materials Studio and Schrodinger. In recent years, Goddard has been focusing on research of i) energy-related reactions including electro-catalytic reaction in fuel cells, carbon dioxide reduction and olefin conversion; ii) advanced materials including thermoelectrics, energetic materials, superconductors, and topological insulator; iii) GPCR protein structure prediction.

Prof. Goddard is the Charles and Mary Ferkel Professor of Chemistry, Materials Science, and Applied Physics, and the Director of Materials and Process Simulation Center (MSC) in California Institute of Technology and is a member of United States National Academy of Sciences. He has received many rewards, such as Winner American Chemical Society Award for Computers in Chemistry, Feynman Prize for Nanotechnology Theory, American Chemical Society Award for Theoretical Chemistry, NASA Space Sciences Award for Space Shuttle Sensor, NASA Space Sciences Award for polymer films.