Ernest R. Davidson

Ernest R. Davidson
Born (1936-10-12) October 12, 1936
Alma materRose Polytechnic Institute
Known forDavidson correction, Davidson diagonalization, Computational methods in quantum chemistry
Scientific career
FieldsTheoretical chemistry
Quantum chemistry
Computational chemistry
InstitutionsUniversity of Washington
Doctoral students Philip Phillips

Ernest R. Davidson, born October 12, 1936, in Terre Haute, Indiana, is a former professor of chemistry, University of Washington (1961–1984, 2002–2020)[1] and Indiana University-Bloomington (1984–2002).[2]

He graduated from Wiley High School, Terre Haute and Rose Polytechnic Institute (BS chemical engineering), Terre Haute, and Indiana University (PhD theoretical chemistry), Bloomington, Indiana.[3]

His name is associated with both the Davidson correction and the "Davidson diagonalization" method which he applied to configuration interaction methods.[4] He is the author of over 400 publications, including Reduced Density Matrices in Quantum Chemistry, Academic Press, 1976.[5]

He has been awarded many honors, including Guggenheim fellow[6] in 1974, member of the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science (1981)[7] and Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1985) and the National Academy of Sciences (1987).[8] In 2001, he was awarded the National Medal of Science.[9][10]

References

  1. ^ "Biography". Molecular Physics. 100 (3): 317–330. 2002-02-10. doi:10.1080/00268970110075149. ISSN 0026-8976.
  2. ^ "Ernest R. Davidson". chem.indiana.edu.
  3. ^ "Ernest R. Davidson". National Science & Technology Medals Foundation.
  4. ^ Meissner, L. (1988-05-06). "Size-consistency corrections for configuration interaction calculations". Chemical Physics Letters. 146 (3): 204–210. doi:10.1016/0009-2614(88)87431-1. ISSN 0009-2614.
  5. ^ Davidson, Ernest R. (1976). Reduced Density Matrices in Quantum Chemistry. Academic Press. ISBN 978-0-12-205850-9.
  6. ^ "Meet our Fellows - Guggenheim Fellowship — Guggenheim Fellowships: Supporting Artists, Scholars, & Scientists". Guggenheim Foundation. Retrieved 2026-02-17.
  7. ^ "Ernest R. Davidson Professor of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. Sloan Fellow (1967). Laureate, International Academy". www.iaqms.org. Retrieved 2026-02-17.
  8. ^ "Ernest R. Davidson: Awards and honors". iu.edu.
  9. ^ National Science Foundation - The President's National Medal of Science
  10. ^ "Ernest R. Davidson". National Science and Technology Medals Foundation. Retrieved 2026-02-17.