More than anything, George Feher was curious about how nature worked. He had a great gift in terms of experimental skill, a genuine esthetic about how to do interesting science, and a voracious drive. At the end of the day, George's scientific discoveries and experimental techniques have stood the test of time.
George Feher began his academic career at UC San Diego in 1960, among of group of fifteen mid-career men and women scientists who founded the Physics Department. His move to La Jolla was preceded by six years of work as a member of the technical staff at AT&T Bell Laboratories and a brief visiting professorship at Columbia University. At Bell, motivated by the need to probe acceptor atoms in semiconductors in the then burgeoning field of solid-state physics, George developed a form of double-frequency spectroscopy coined Electron Nuclear Double Resonance (ENDOR). The name is a takeoff on the biblical Witch of Endor, as George's measurements brought terror to the hearts of some theorists. George was awarded the Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize for inventing ENDOR and its subsequent impact in physics and chemistry.
At UCSD, George soon switched his interests to fundamental processes in biology and founded one of the nation's first Biological Physics groups. He used his skills and knowledge of spectroscopy, and newly found expertise in biochemistry, to uncover the mechanism that bacteria use to convert light into a separation of positive and negative charges. This marks the first step in photosynthesis. The charge separation is subsequently converted into chemical energy and, ultimately, biomass. George was awarded the Max Max Delbruck Prize in Biological Physics and the Wolf Prize in Chemistry for this work. George was also elected to US National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
UC San Diego will host a memorial symposium to honor the life and career of George Feher on Friday, October 5, 2018 in the new Fred Kavli Hall of Science in the Tata Building. The event will feature scientific presentations from George’s colleagues, collaborators, and protégés in the subfields of bioenergetics, molecular structure, and spectroscopy. It will close with a series of brief personal remembrances.
The International Society of Photosynthesis Research, the UC San Diego Physics Department, and the office of the Dean of Physical Sciences at UC San Diego are pleased to invite you to join us in celebrating the life of George Feher.