It is with great sadness that the Arts and Sciences community mourns the passing of our colleague Louis Brus, the Samuel Latham Mitchill Professor Emeritus in the Department of Chemistry.
An internationally renowned scientist and scholar, Professor Brus earned his PhD in chemical physics from Columbia in 1969. After military service at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory and more than two decades at Bell Laboratories as a member of its technical staff, he returned to Columbia in 1996, where he taught and undertook research for the remainder of his career.
His research spanned chemical physics and nanoscience, and included a strong interest in theory. He is best known for his work on quantum dots, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2023. Quantum dots are nanoparticles that exhibit quantum effects due to their small size; their manipulation has proven useful across many different commercial and scientific applications – from creating the vivid colors we see on flat screen televisions to major improvements in biomedical imaging. Professor Brus’ work reminds us of the profound importance of basic science research and its power to advance human progress, often in unforeseen ways. Indeed, on the impact of basic science, Professor Brus once observed:
“Over the past two centuries, curiosity‐driven basic research has led, eventually and inexorably, to new technologies that have hugely improved our lives … Basic research is best supported by society as a whole, and its natural home is in the universities. By its very nature, basic research tends to advance an entire industry, not one specific company.”
Beyond his immensely impactful scholarship, Professor Brus was an incredible teacher, mentor, and supporter of his students and faculty colleagues, who often sought his wise counsel and advice. His generosity infused his working relationships, and he fostered a sense of collegiality and shared purpose that contributed to many successful university collaborations, particularly in the areas of nano and quantum science, where Columbia has become a true leader and where his early involvement was instrumental. Like so many of our faculty, Professor Brus also helped educate a generation of students and postdocs who have gone on to very successful careers in academia and industry and who in many ways represent his living legacy.
Professor Brus was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, and most recently, the National Academy of Inventors, which elected him as a member this past December. In addition to his Nobel prize, he received many other prestigious honors during his career, including the 2008 Kavli Prize. In accepting that award, he noted that, “Science has been a delight because I have worked with, and learned from, such outstanding mentors, colleagues and research students.”
More information about a memorial in Professor Brus’ honor will be shared as plans are confirmed. In the meantime, our thoughts are with his family, friends, and colleagues – here at Columbia and across many other institutions.
For an additional tribute, please visit the Department of Chemistry website.
