Dan Shechtman

Dan Shechtman – Life, Career, and Inspirational Insights

Learn about the life and scientific achievements of Israeli Nobel laureate Dan Shechtman — from his discovery of quasicrystals to his perseverance in the face of skepticism. Explore his influence, key quotes, and enduring legacy.

Introduction

Dan Shechtman is an Israeli materials scientist whose groundbreaking discovery of quasicrystals forever changed our understanding of crystal structure. Born on January 24, 1941, in Tel Aviv (then part of British Mandate Palestine), he went on to win the 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on these non-periodic yet ordered materials.

Shechtman’s journey is one of intellectual courage: challenging established paradigms, enduring backlash, and ultimately reshaping fields in condensed matter physics and materials science. Below, we explore his early life, scientific path, the controversies he navigated, his legacy, and lessons we can draw from his story.

Early Life and Family

Dan Shechtman was born in Tel Aviv on January 24, 1941, when the region was under British mandate. Petah Tikva and Ramat Gan, in a Jewish family with immigrant roots.

His grandparents had emigrated from Ukraine during the early 20th century and established a printing business in Palestine. The Mysterious Island, reading it repeatedly and dreaming of being an engineer who could build things out of nothing.

From this early imaginative impulse came a desire to explore materials, structure, and the hidden order in nature.

Education & Academic Formation

Shechtman pursued his entire formal higher education at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology:

• BSc in Mechanical Engineering – 1966

• MSc in Materials/Machines – 1968

• PhD in Materials Engineering – 1972

After his doctorate, he held a postdoctoral fellowship at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio (1972–1975), focusing on microstructures and metallurgy of titanium aluminides.

In 1975, Shechtman returned to Technion as a faculty member in materials engineering, beginning a long association with the institute.

Since 2004, he has held a part-time appointment at Iowa State University and is affiliated with Ames Laboratory (U.S.).

Career & Key Scientific Achievement: Quasicrystals

Discovery of the Icosahedral Phase

On April 8, 1982, while on sabbatical at the U.S. National Bureau of Standards, Shechtman observed a diffraction pattern from an aluminum-manganese alloy that showed icosahedral symmetry — a configuration that defied the accepted rules of crystallography (which insisted on periodicity).

He realized that what he had discovered was a quasicrystal — a structure that is ordered but not periodic; atoms follow strict mathematical rules, but the pattern never exactly repeats in space.

This observation was revolutionary: it challenged long-standing assumptions in crystallography, materials science, and condensed matter physics.

Skepticism, Resistance, and Vindication

Initially, Shechtman’s idea met considerable resistance. Many established scientists — including Linus Pauling (a two-time Nobel laureate) — famously rejected the possibility of quasicrystals, arguing “there is no such thing as quasicrystals, only quasi-scientists.”

At one point, Shechtman’s own research group leader reportedly told him to “go back and read the textbook” and even asked him to leave the group for bringing “disgrace” to their established norms.

Yet over the following years, experimental verification of quasicrystals by other groups accumulated, leading to broader acceptance of the concept.

The Nobel Committee, in awarding Shechtman the 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, cited how his discovery “forced scientists to reconsider their conception of the very nature of matter.”

Broader Impact & Applications

Quasicrystals have intriguing properties: low thermal and electrical conductivity, high structural stability, and unusual symmetries.

Shechtman’s work broadened the definitions of what constitutes “crystal” and opened new theoretical and experimental landscapes in materials science.

Recognition, Awards & Later Career

Shechtman’s contributions have been widely honored:

• Nobel Prize in Chemistry (2011) — for discovery of quasicrystals

• Wolf Prize in Physics (1999)

• Israel Prize (for Physics, 1998)

• Rothschild Prize, Weizmann Prize, Gregori Aminoff Prize, and others

He holds the Philip Tobias Chair of Materials Science at Technion and is emeritus faculty there.

In addition to research, Shechtman has served in leadership roles — for instance, since 2014, he has headed the International Scientific Council of Tomsk Polytechnic University in Russia.

Beyond pure science, in 2014 he announced a bid for President of Israel. However, in the election he garnered only a single vote.

Personality, Values & Traits

From interviews and his own reflections, several qualities stand out:

• Intellectual courage — He persisted with a controversial idea, even when widely criticized.

• Curiosity and openness — His willingness to explore “anomalies” rather than dismiss them shows a scientific mindset that values observation over dogma.

• Humility & collaboration — He has expressed the view that a good scientist is humble and open to listening to others.

• Belief in people and progress — In his quotes he emphasizes the importance of people as resources, of investing in science, and of sustainable development.

• Patience — His path to recognition was gradual and fraught with resistance, which he endured and overcame.

Selected Quotes by Dan Shechtman

Here are a few notable quotations attributed to him (with sources) that reflect his worldview and scientific philosophy:

• “Sustainable development requires human ingenuity. People are the most important resource.”

• “The message from the Technion when I was a student was: ‘You will be so good that when you graduate, everyone will want to hire you.’”

• “Crystallographers believed in X-ray results, which are of course very accurate. But the x-rays are limited, and electron microscopy filled the gap … for several years, the community … was not willing to listen.”

• “A humble scientist is a good scientist.”

• “On April 8, 1982, I was alone in the electron microscope room when I discovered the Icosahedral Phase that opened the field of quasi-periodic crystals.”

These quotes highlight his conviction, humility, and respect for the process of discovery.

Lessons from Dan Shechtman’s Journey

1. Challenge accepted wisdom
   Some progress emerges not by adding to existing frameworks but by questioning foundational assumptions.

2. Perseverance matters
   Recognition may take years or decades; intellectual breakthroughs often face initial rejection.

3. Be rigorous in observation
   Anomalies and “outliers” shouldn’t be dismissed — they can hide paths to transformation.

4. Stay open and humble
   Even in disagreement, respect and willingness to engage can help scientific discourse progress.

5. Science is collaborative
   Discovery often builds on technology (e.g. electron microscopy), networks, and cross-disciplinary insight.

Conclusion

Dan Shechtman stands as a remarkable example of how scientific courage, curiosity, and persistence can overturn established paradigms. His discovery of quasicrystals — once met with skepticism — is now celebrated as a foundational shift in understanding matter.

His life reminds us that breakthroughs often come from paying attention to the unexpected, and that the path to recognition is rarely linear. Would you like me to create a timeline of his life events or a deeper dive into the science of quasicrystals?