James Tour
T.T. and W.F. Chao Professor of Chemistry
Dr. Tour's website
Dr. James M. Tour has been at the epicenter of nanotechnology since joining the Department of Chemistry and the renowned nanoscale science program at Rice in 1999 at the invitation of the late Rick Smalley, Nobel laureate from Rice. Tour is the Chao Professor of Chemistry, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Professor of Computer Science. He is quick to praise Rice as a top tier research community and a wonderful employer.
His scientific research areas include synthesizing nanocars and nanomachines, molecular electronics and nanoelectronics, carbon nanotube composites, and nanomedicine.
As inventor of the nanocar, James Tour was selected Innovator of the Year in Small Times magazine's Best of Small Tech Research Award competition in 2006. Nanocars are nanometer-sized molecular structures recently synthesized on the base of fullerene and carborane compounds. These molecules are capable of a wheel-like motion along different (mostly metalic) surfaces. Dr. Tour’s paper on Nanocars was the most highly accessed journal article of all American Chemical Society articles in 2005, and it was listed by LiveScience as the second most influential paper in all of science in 2005.
Another of Dr. Tour’s most well known projects are NanoKids. The NanoKids™ educational outreach program is dedicated to increasing public knowledge of the nanoscale world and the emerging molecular research and technology that is rapidly expanding internationally. Based on actual anthropomorphic molecules synthesized in the laboratory, the NanoKids™ visual concept utilizes universally recognized forms exhibiting human characteristics to instruct, motivate, and entertain. Its mission is:
- To significantly increase students’ comprehension of chemistry, physics, biology, and materials science at the molecular level.
- To provide teachers with conceptual tools to teach nanoscale science and emerging molecular technology.
- To demonstrate that art and science can combine to facilitate learning for students with diverse learning styles and interests.
- To generate informed interest in nanotechnology that encourages participation in and funding for research in the field.
More details can be found at http://nanokids.rice.edu/.
Tour is a co-founder of NanoComposites, Inc. which specializes in nanotube-based composites and he is a co-founder of Tools for Industry, Inc., makers of corrosion inhibitor coatings. He also is the founder and principal of NanoJtech Consultants, LLC, performing technology assessments for the prospective investor. He serves on the Board of Directors of Ariel Ministries. He has served as a visiting scholar at Harvard University, on the Chemical Reviews Editorial Advisory Board, the Governor’s Mathematics and Science Advisory Board for South Carolina, the Defense Science Study Group through the Institute for Defense Analyses, the Defense Science Board Chem/Nano Study Section, and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Research Center’s Competitive Grant Renewal Board. He is an active consultant on several national defense-related topics. In addition to winning several other national awards, he has over 300 scientific publications and numerous patents.
Who knew Jim Tour started college with the desire to become a New York State trooper? Instead, he received his Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Syracuse University, his Ph.D. in synthetic organic and organometallic chemistry from Purdue University, and postdoctoral training in synthetic organic chemistry at the University of Wisconsin and Stanford University.