Science and Medicine Biography

These resources in this guide are just a sampling of all the print and electronic resources which can be used to find biographical information about scientists. 

Scientists and physicians are often listed in more general biographical resources.  For more information on general biographical resources, visit the Library's "How do I find...? Biographical Sources" guide.

Biographical information, particularly from obituaries, special honorary symposia, and award announcements may also be found in subject specific article indexes and databases, like SciFinder, Web of Science, and others.  Check with a librarian for other hints on locating hard to find biographical information.

The University of Chicago Library collects in the history of medicine, science and technology, including collecting biographical resources for scientists, physicians, inventors, and other figures who played important roles.  A collection development policy for history of science, medicine and technology is available.

Famous Scientists and Award Winners 

• Nobel Foundation/Prizes
• The Nobel Prize Internet Archive
• Biographical Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences
• Biographical Memoirs of the Royal Society (Restricted to UChicago)
• McGraw Hill Access Science Biographies (Restricted to UChicago)
• The Russian Academy of Sciences Academicians and Corresponding Members

Mathematics

• Mathematicians of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries D. R. Wilkins, Trinity College, Dublin
• History of Mathematics Archive (Index of Biographies), University of St. Andrews, Scotland

Astronomy

• History of Astronomy Biographies from the Astronomical Institutes of Bonn University
• The Bruce Medalists - Established by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP), the Catherine Wolfe Bruce gold medal is the highest honor given by the society.  This award recognizes lifetime contributions to astronomy, and is open to “citizens of any country and to persons of either sex.”

Chemistry​

• Bulletin for the history of chemistry
• List of obituaries and biographical notes published in Wiley-VCH German chemical journals (e.g., Angewandte Chemie)