# Herbert A. Hauptman

_American mathematician (1917–2011)_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/herbert-a-hauptman
Last updated: 2026-11-01

> Herbert Aaron Hauptman was an American mathematician and Nobel laureate. He pioneered and developed a mathematical method that has changed the whole field of chemistry and opened a new era in research in determination of molecular structures of crystallized materials. Today, Hauptman's direct methods, which he continued to improve and refine, are routinely used to solve complicated structures. It was the application of this mathematical method to a wide variety of chemical structures that led the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to name Hauptman and Jerome Karle recipients of the 1985 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 14 February 1917 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107422#P569))
- **Place of birth:** New York City ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107422#P19))
- **Died:** 23 October 2011 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107422#P570))
- **Place of death:** Buffalo ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107422#P20))
- **Citizenship:** United States ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107422#P27))
- **Occupation:** mathematician; chemist; university teacher; crystallographer; philosopher ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107422#P106))
- **Education:** University at Buffalo; Columbia University; City College of New York; University of Maryland; New York University; Johns Hopkins University ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107422#P69))
- **Awards:** Nobel Prize in Chemistry; Dirac Medal for the Advancement of Physics; honorary doctorate from the University of Parma; honorary doctor of the University of Maryland; honorary doctor of the Bar-Ilan University; honorary doctorate from Columbia University; Jacob F. Schoellkopf Medal; honorary doctorate of the Łódź University of Technology ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107422#P166))

## Questions

**When was Herbert A. Hauptman born?**  
Herbert A. Hauptman was born on 14 February 1917 in New York City.

**Where did Herbert A. Hauptman study?**  
Herbert A. Hauptman was educated at University at Buffalo, Columbia University, City College of New York, University of Maryland.

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## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Herbert A. Hauptman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_A._Hauptman) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q107422](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107422) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Herbert Hauptman - UB 2009.jpg by Dave Pape (Public domain)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Herbert_Hauptman_-_UB_2009.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Herbert A. Hauptman, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Herbert Hauptman - UB 2009.jpg — Dave Pape, Public domain.

## Cite this page

"Herbert A. Hauptman". DigiNepal. Last updated 1 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/herbert-a-hauptman. Retrieved 15 November 2026.