Alberte Pullman
French chemist (1920–2011)
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Alberte Pullman (née Bucher, 26 August 1920[1] – 7 January 2011) was a French theoretical and quantum chemist.
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26 August 1920
Alberte Pullman | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born | Alberte Bucher 26 August 1920 Nantes, France |
| Died | 7 January 2007 (aged 86) |
| Education | Sorbonne |
| Spouse | Bernard Pullman |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Quantum biochemistry |
| Institutions | CNRS |
| Thesis | (1946) |
Early life and education
Alberte Bucher was born on 26 August 1920 in Nantes, France.[1] She studied at the Sorbonne starting in 1938. During her studies she worked on calculations at Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS). From 1943 she worked with Raymond Daudel, who had been Marie Curie's assistant.[2] She completed her doctorate in 1946, with a thesis on the electronic properties of carcinogenic aromatic hydrocarbons.[1]
Career
Bucher was in Paris during World War II and worked on theoretical chemistry, applying her findings to the study of biomolecules and pharmacology, particularly the carcinogenic properties of aromatic compounds.[2]
Alberte Bucher married fellow scientist Bernard Pullman following his return from war service in 1946, and took his surname. Her findings in the early 1940s strongly influenced his work. She and her husband worked together until his death in 1996. Together they wrote several books including Quantum Biochemistry, Interscience Publishers, 1963. Their work in the 1950s and 1960s was the beginning of the new field of Quantum Biochemistry. They pioneered the application of quantum chemistry to predicting the carcinogenic properties of aromatic hydrocarbons.[1]
She was a member of the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science and a member and former President of The International Society of Quantum Biology and Pharmacology.[3]
Pullman was Honorary Director of the Theoretical Biochemistry Department, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, and Directeur de Recherche Emerite at CNRS.[1]
Recognition
Pullman was nominated four times for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.[2][4]
Pullman was made an officier of the Legion of Honour in 1989, and promoted to commandeur in 1994.[5]
Commemoration
In 2026, Pullman was announced as one of 72 historical women in STEM whose names have been proposed to be added to the 72 men already celebrated on the Eiffel Tower. The plan was announced by the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo following the recommendations of a committee led by Isabelle Vauglin of Femmes et Sciences and Jean-François Martins, representing the operating company which runs the Eiffel Tower.[6][7][8][2]