Credit:
Courtesy of University of Pittsburgh
David Waldeck, 69, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania died Feb. 25, 2026.
“David began his independent career as an assistant professor of chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh, where he rose to the rank of distinguished professor. He served as department chair from 2005 to 2014. David made pioneering contributions across many areas of chemistry and materials science. In particular, in collaboration with Ron Naaman, he codiscovered the chiral-induced spin selectivity effect, revealing fundamentally new properties of chiral molecules and offering fresh insight into the role of homochirality in living systems. He published more than 270 research papers and three monographs, including coauthoring the textbook Principles of Physical Chemistry.”—Haitao Liu, colleague
Most recent title: Distinguished professor of chemistry, University of Pittsburgh
Education: BS, chemistry, University of Cincinnati, 1978; PhD, chemistry, University of Chicago, 1983
Survivors: Spouse, Janet Waldeck; children, Aaron Waldeck and Anna Waldeck; one grandson; siblings, Cecelia Waldeck, Lisa Russell, Marty Waldeck, Charlotte Keller, and Paul Waldeck
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2026 American Chemical Society
