1910-1985

American chemist who conducted basic research into the properties of polymers and other macromolecules. Flory first worked on developing synthetic rubber during World War II, moving to Cornell after the war and, later, to Carnegie University and finally to Stanford. During this time, he studied the properties of polymers and contributed toward better understanding of these important molecules that form the basis of plastics and similar compounds. Flory's work was recognized with the 1974 Nobel Prize for Chemistry.