Bernard Witholt PhD

Bernard Witholt was born in Holland shortly after the Nazi invasion in 1941. After the end of World War II, the family moved to Brazil, living in both São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. In 1959, they immigrated to the United States and settled in Pennsylvania.

With the support of his high school guidance counselor, Bernard gained a full scholarship to Amherst College. He graduated in 1964 and then took his PhD at Johns Hopkins University, which was followed by post–doctoral work at the University of California, San Diego.

He spent his professional life in Europe, first as a faculty member at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and then, from 1992 until his retirement, at ETH Zurich, a world-class research university with ties to more than twenty Nobel prizewinners.

His research groups did foundational work in microbial biotechnology, and he was widely recognized by his peers as among the most original, provocative, and productive people in the field—as a teacher and mentor as well as an innovator.

In 2007, the Dutch royal family recognized Bernard’s work with its highest civilian honor, The Order of The Netherlands Lion (De Orde van de Nederlandse Leeuw).The award is given for exceptional achievements in art, science, and literature. He was cited primarily for his work in Groningen, where, in addition to his research and teaching, he founded a science park and several start-up ventures.