David Rockwell Goddard (January 3, 1908 – July 9, 1985) was an American plant physiologist, educator, and university administrator.
Early Life and Education
Goddard was born in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, the son of Pliny Earle Goddard, an American linguist and ethnologist known for his documentation of Athabaskan languages and cultures. He attended the University of California, Berkeley, earning a bachelor's degree in 1929, a master's degree in 1930, and a Ph.D. in 1933.
Career
Goddard is best known for his contributions to the large-scale production of penicillin, bacitracin, and vitamin B₂ during World War II. His later research demonstrated a relationship between the respiratory chains in plants and animals.
He held academic positions at the University of Rochester and later at the University of Pennsylvania, where he served as chairman of the Division of Biology and as university provost. Goddard also served as home secretary for the National Academy of Sciences.
He was president of the American Society of Plant Physiologists, the Society of General Physiologists, and the Society for the Study and Development of Growth. The New York Times described Goddard as a "leading plant expert."
Inventions
While working at the Rockefeller Institute in the early 1930s, Goddard participated in research inspired by Leonor Michaelis that led indirectly to the discovery of methods for permanently modifying the shape of hair by reducing disulfide bonds in keratin. This basic chemistry was adapted into the cold wave technology used in the hairdressing industry, employing derivatives of thioglycolic acid. Goddard was interested only in the scientific implications of the discovery and refused to pursue a patent.
Awards and Distinctions
- 1942 & 1949 — Guggenheim Fellowship
- 1948 — Stephen Hales Prize for research on respiration and respiratory enzymes
Memberships
Goddard was a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Legacy
The University of Pennsylvania established the David Goddard Laboratories as part of the Richards Medical Research Laboratories.
