GEORGE FLYNN

1938 - 2020

FLYNN--George. Higgins Prof of Chemistry and Prof of Chemical Engineering at Columbia University died on January 8, 2020 in Charlotte, NC. Flynn was born in Hartford, CT, in 1938. He earned his BA from Yale and his Ph.D in Chemical Physics from Harvard. He was a postdoctoral fellow at MIT. Flynn joined the Columbia faculty in 1967. He was a pioneer in the use of lasers to probe molecular dynamics in gases and liquids and in the use of Scanning Tunneling Microscopy to study the structure of solid surfaces and the properties of graphene. He made a deep impact on Columbia through his service as Chair of the Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Departments and Director of EMSI, and as an extraordinary mentor to all students--including the many who have gone on to notable research careers as university professors. He was the recipient of many honors including the prestigious Mark Van Doren Teaching Prize for the excellence of his teaching in Freshman Chemistry; the Herbert P. Broida Prize in Chemical Physics given by the American Physical Society (APS); and both the E. Bright Wilson Award in Spectroscopy, and the Irving Langmuir Prize in Chemical Physics given by the American Chemical Society (ACS); his election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and to the National Academy of Sciences. Flynn was a scholar and a gentleman universally respected for his wisdom and sage advice by his colleagues and collaborators. George's passing is a huge loss to the Department of Chemistry and Columbia University. He is survived by his loving family- his wife Jean, their children David and Suzanne, their grandchildren, and George's brother Ken Flynn.