The Man Behind the Lab Coat

Membership in a space allocation committee is not a credit most high-level scientists seek for their resumes.

But it's precisely the kind of thing that Houghton Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Jeremy R. Knowles thrives on, his colleagues say. Knowles led the way for a total reevaluation of the department's lab, classroom and library organization.

"He has a very firm grasp of everything that's going on in the department, down to the smallest details," says Elias J. Corey, Emery professor of organic chemistry.

Co-workers describe Knowles, who chaired the Chemistry Department from 1980 to 1983, as a highly competent administrator. And they say that his attention to detail is just one of the characteristics that first brought the 55-year-old bio-organic chemist to the attention of University administrators selecting a new dean for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) in the early 1980s.

Knowles, a specialist in the area of enzyme mechanisms, was also one of the eight final candidates for the Harvard presidency earlier this year.

Knowles' colleagues say that although he is no longer department chair, his opinion on academic and administrative matters is still highly respected. He is often sought out for advice by professors and administrators alike, they say.

"He's probably the best chairman I can remember," says Corey, a Nobel laureate who has been at Harvard for 32 years.

Corey describes Knowles as a "superb" recruiter of faculty who was very active and effective in fundraising for the department.

Many of Knowles' co-workers use the word "charming" to describe him. They say he is well-liked among his fellow FAS professors.

In 1987, Knowles was reportedly offered the FAS deanship but turned it down. His colleagues say they were not surprised by his decision at the time.

"He's probably the world's number one bio-organic chemist," Corey says. "And there were all sorts of new research opportunities just then because of advances in molecular biology and synthetic chemistry."

"It was almost predictable [that he would turn it down at that time]," he adds.

Extensive Interests

Knowles' colleagues say that his interests are extensive and that he possesses an appreciation for the humanities that is rare for a scientist of his caliber.

"He represents a very remarkable combination of talents," says Weld Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry James G. Anderson. "Not only is he a superb scientist, he also has a profound intuition concerning literature and the humanities."

Department Chair

While chair of the department, Anderson says, Knowles once organized a 70th birthday party at the Faculty Club for two chemistry professors.

Guests were invited to address the party--but only if they spoke in poetic form.

"Knowles led off the evening, and he was marvelous," Anderson says.

Colleagues and students also praise Knowles' teaching skills. Last year he taught Chemistry 171: "Molecular Enzymology" and part of Biochemistry 10a: "Introductory Biochemistry."

James E. Davis, the director of Harvard's biochemistry and molecular biology lab, describes Knowles as "a magnificent teacher, one of the best in the department."

Born in Rugby, England, Knowles attended Magdalen College School and then spent two years as a pilot officer in the Royal Air Force. At Oxford University he took a B.A. with first class honors in 1959 and an M.A. and D.Phil. in 1961.

After serving as a research fellow and lecturer at the California Institute of Technology and the University of Illinois, Knowles returned to Oxford to become a fellow of Wadham College from 1966 to 1974.

In the early 1970s, he was a visiting professor at Yale and then at Harvard University. He joined the Harvard Chemistry Department in 1974.

Knowles is married to Jane Sheldon Davis, a literary scholar. They have three children.

Associates say that Knowles is a gifted pianist who is particularly fond of Mozart.

This article was first printed in The Crimson on March 1, 1991.