Kenneth V. Thimann
University of Pennsylvania
August 5, 1904 - January 14, 1997
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Scientific Discipline: Plant Biology Membership Type:
Emeritus
(elected 1948)
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Kenneth V. Thimann’s research in plant physiology strengthened our understanding of the roles that hormones play in plant development. He identified the hormone auxin, which coordinates growth processes in plants. He also determined its chemical structure, which allowed for its use in laboratories. The agricultural and horticultural industries adapted this compound to enhance crop growth and appearance.
Thimann attended the Imperial College at the University of London, where he received his BS degree in chemistry in 1924 and his PhD in biochemistry in 1928. After teaching at the University of London for several years, he moved to the U.S. in 1930, first working as an instructor in bacteriology and biochemistry at the California Institute of Technology and then, in 1935, teaching at Harvard University in the Biology Department. He became director of the Biological Laboratories at Harvard in 1946 and held that position until 1950. He wrote two books on the subjects of plant hormones and microbiology: Phytohormones (1937) and The Life of Bacteria (1955). In 1965 Thimann accepted a professorship in biology at the University of California at Santa Cruz, where he became the first provost of Crown College.
