# John Polanyi

_Hungarian-Canadian chemist_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/john-polanyi
Last updated: 2026-10-31

> John Charles Polanyi (Hungarian: Polányi János Károly; born 23 January 1929) is a German-born Hungarian-Canadian chemist. He was awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his research in chemical reaction dynamics.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 23 January 1929 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q237825#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Berlin ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q237825#P19))
- **Citizenship:** Canada; Germany ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q237825#P27))
- **Occupation:** chemist; physicist; university teacher ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q237825#P106))
- **Education:** The Manchester Grammar School; University of Manchester; University of Toronto; University of Toronto Schools ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q237825#P69))
- **Spouse:** Brenda Bury ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q237825#P26))
- **Awards:** Faraday Lectureship Prize; Royal Medal; Nobel Prize in Chemistry; Companion of the Order of Canada; Helmholtz Medal; Henry Marshall Tory Medal; Marlow Award; Wolf Prize in Chemistry; Order of Ontario; Centenary Prize; honorary doctor of the University of Manchester; honorary doctor of Harvard University; honorary doctorate at the Laval University; Royal Society Bakerian Medal; Chemical Institute of Canada Medal ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q237825#P166))

## About

Polanyi was born into the prominent Hungarian Polányi (Pollacsek) family in Berlin, Germany, prior to his family emigrating in 1933 to the United Kingdom where he was subsequently educated at the University of Manchester, achieving his Ph.D in 1952, and did postdoctoral research at the National Research Council in Canada (1952-1954) and Princeton University in New Jersey (1954-1956). Polanyi's first academic appointment was at the University of Toronto in 1956, and he remains there as of 2025 as University Professor Emeritus.

In addition to the Nobel Prize, Polanyi has received numerous other awards, including 33 honorary degrees, the Wolf Prize in Chemistry and the Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering. Outside his scientific pursuits, Polanyi is active in public policy discussion, especially concerning science and nuclear weapons. According to György Marx, he was one of "The Martians", a group of prominent Hungarian scientists who emigrated to the United States in the first half of the 20th century.

## Questions

**When was John Polanyi born?**  
John Polanyi was born on 23 January 1929 in Berlin.

**Where did John Polanyi study?**  
John Polanyi was educated at The Manchester Grammar School, University of Manchester, University of Toronto, University of Toronto Schools.

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## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): John Polanyi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Polanyi) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q237825](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q237825) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: John Polanyi 01.jpg by Bengt Oberger (CC BY-SA 4.0)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Polanyi_01.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article John Polanyi, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: John Polanyi 01.jpg — Bengt Oberger, CC BY-SA 4.0.

## Cite this page

"John Polanyi". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/john-polanyi. Retrieved 5 November 2026.