The Story of an Academic Giant
In the world of academia, there is a known passage that many follow, but at which almost no one truly excel. There are but a comparative handful of truly memorable minds in every generation, and these are the scientists that make the world a better place. These are the discoverers of fundamental theories or major paradigms, never seen before technology, and life-saving medicine. Dr. Joseph Schlessinger is one such great mind.
In his academic career, he has created more than a ten other scientists put together. Like most of the world’s leading researchers, he had an impressive start, first receiving his Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and Physics in 1968 from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, followed by a Masters in Chemistry in 1970 from the same place. The young Schlessinger glided effortlessly during those early years of academia, graduating magna cum laude both times.
Staying firmly dedicated to his aims, he was immediately accepted to the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, where he received his Ph.D. in 1974, after submitting his successful thesis work on “Study of Chemical and Biological Systems by Circular Polarization of Fluorescence.” As a postdoc fellow between 1974 and 1976, he began his studies in earnest at Cornell’s Department of Chemistry and Applied Physics.
After a successful postdoc experience at Cornell, he spent the next several years at increasingly more ambitious pursuits, including a position at the NIH, followed by a long tenure at the Weizmann Institute that culminated in his appointment as full professor in the Department of Chemical Immunology.
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