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Ahmed Zewail

Chemist; Nobel laureate in Chemistry, 1999

Egypt / United States · 1946–2016

Chemist at the California Institute of Technology who developed femtosecond spectroscopy, allowing chemical reactions to be observed as they happen. Awarded the 1999 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, the first Egyptian to receive a science Nobel. He later served on the US President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

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Recorded · On the billboard

At the age of 21, as a Moeid, I believed that behind every universal phenomenon there must be beauty and simplicity in its description. This belief remains true today.

If you could have a gigantic billboard anywhere, what would it say and why? Laureate-written autobiography for Les Prix Nobel, Nobel Prize Outreach, 1 December 1999 source

What is an unusual habit or an absurd thing that you love?

The great singer Um Kulthum (actually named Kawkab Elsharq – a superstar of the East) had a major influence on my appreciation of music. On the first Thursday of each month we listened to Um Kulthum's concert – "waslats" (three songs) – for more than three hours. During all of my study years in Egypt, the music of this unique figure gave me a special happiness, and her voice was often in the background while I was studying mathematics, chemistry… etc. After three decades I still have the same feeling and passion for her music.

Recorded Laureate-written autobiography for Les Prix Nobel, Nobel Prize Outreach, 1 December 1999 source

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When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?

Arriving in the States, I had the feeling of being thrown into an ocean. The ocean was full of knowledge, culture, and opportunities, and the choice was clear: I could either learn to swim or sink. The culture was foreign, the language was difficult, but my hopes were high. I did not speak or write English fluently, and I did not know much about western culture in general, or American culture in particular.

Recorded Laureate-written autobiography for Les Prix Nobel, Nobel Prize Outreach, 1 December 1999 source

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