Jeremy Burdett

Jeremy Keith Burdett (July 1, 1947 – June 23, 1997), or Jeremy K. Burdett, was a British-American chemist known for his work on bridging the gap between molecular science and solid state chemistry from an electron orbital viewpoint.

Education and career Burdett was a native of London, UK. He studied at the Magdalene College, University of Cambridge, receiving his bachelor's degree in 1968 in natural sciences with a specialization in chemistry. He obtained a master's degree from the University of Michigan in 1970 and worked as a Power Foundation Fellow with Jerry Current. He returned to the University of Cambridge and received a Ph.D. in 1972 under the supervision of Jim J. Turner. Subsequently, Burdett moved to Newcastle University along with Jim J. Turner's group and was appointed senior research officer. In 1977, Burdett spent a sabbatical at Cornell University with Roald Hoffmann, who greatly influenced Burdett's research direction. In 1978, Burdett joined the faculty at the University of Chicago, where he spent the rest of his career.

Honors and awards Burdett received the following accolades during his career, Meldola Medals of the Royal Society of Chemistry (1977) along with Martyn Poliakoff Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellow (1979) Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation Teacher Scholar Fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation (1990) Wilsmore Fellow of the University of Melbourne (1985) CNRS Visiting professor at the Universite de Paris-Sud, Orsay (1987) and at University of Rennes 1 (1994) Tilden Medal and Prize of the Royal Society of Chemistry (1995).

Personal life Burdett's first wife was Wendy Greenwood, with whom he had two sons, Rufus and Harry. Burdett died at his summer home in Kalamazoo, Michigan, after attending a conference in Ann Arbor, Michigan.