Dr. William Alexander Lester, Jr, Chemist & Educator for University of California, Berkeley was selected as Chemist of the Decade for 2021 by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP) for his prosperity, longevity and dedication to the field of Chemistry.
Inclusion with the International Association of Top Professionals is an honor in itself, only 1 Male and 1 Female professional in the Chemistry field are selected for this distinction. This member has demonstrated excellence in his field for almost 60 years. As a renowned Chemist, in 2018 IAOTP noted him as the Top Chemist Educator of the year. He was honored at IAOTP’s 2019 Annual Awards Gala, which was held at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, where he received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Lester will accept this recognition and be inducted into the exclusive Hall of Fame at IAOTP’s Annual Awards Gala this Spring.
Stephanie Cirami, President of IAOTP stated, “Choosing Dr. Lester for this honor was an easy decision for our panel to make. He has devoted his life’s work to Chemistry and Higher Education. We are proud to recognize Dr. Lester for his extraordinary abilities and we look forward to celebrating his many accomplishments and success at the Gala.” https://www.iaotp.com/award-gala
Before embarking on his professional career path, Dr. Lester received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Chemistry from the University of Chicago, and his Ph.D. in Chemistry from The Catholic University of America in 1964.
In addition to working as a Professor in the Department of Chemistry at UC, Berkeley, Dr. Lester’s other notable positions have included: Physical Chemist with the National Bureau of Standards in Washington DC; Staff Scientist and Manager, IBM San Jose Research Laboratory; Director of the National Resource for Computation in Chemistry and concurrently an Associate Director at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL); Associate Dean for the College of Chemistry at UC Berkeley while Professor of Chemistry at UC Berkeley, Dr. Lester was also a Faculty Senior Scientist at LBNL.
Throughout his remarkable career, Dr. Lester has remained active in his community and was recognized worldwide for his outstanding leadership and commitment in the fields of chemistry and higher education. He has received many awards, accolades and has been featured in numerous publications multiple years in a row such as Marquis Who’s Who, Who’s Who in Science and Engineering, Who’s Who in the West, and Who’s Who in the World. This year Dr. Lester graced the front cover of TIP (Top Industry Professionals) Magazine displaying his achievements and will be interviewed on T.I.P. Radio by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP). In previous years, he was the recipient of an Outstanding Contribution Award given by IBM (1974) and an Outstanding Service Award given by the National Science Foundation (1996), and was the recipient of the Outstanding Teacher Award by the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (1986). Furthermore, the Catholic University of America honored him with the Alumni Award in Science (1983) and he received the Percy L. Julian Award by the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (1979).
Aside from his successful career as a Professor, Dr. Lester is also a sought-after lecturer, speaker, published author and contributor to over 200 papers in professional journals. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Physical Society, the American Chemical Society, the California Academy of Sciences and is a member of the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science.
Looking back, Dr. Lester attributes his success to his experience, education, mentors he has had along the way and staying passionate in all his endeavors. Dr. Lester says he has been blessed; he loves doing what he is doing. When he is not working Dr. Lester enjoys traveling, reading and the arts. For the future Dr. Lester hopes to continue making a positive difference in people’s lives anyway that he can through his work as an Educator for Higher Education and as a prominent Chemist.
For more information on Dr. Lester please visit: www.iaotp.com/drwilliamalesterjr
Watch his video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14SLkaa0fTI
About IAOTP
The International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP) is an international boutique networking organization that handpicks the world’s finest, most prestigious top professionals from different industries. These top professionals are given an opportunity to collaborate, share their ideas, be keynote speakers, and to help influence others in their fields. This organization is not a membership that anyone can join. You have to be asked by the President or be nominated by a distinguished honorary member after a brief interview.
IAOTP’s experts have given thousands of top prestigious professionals around the world, the recognition and credibility that they deserve and have helped in building their branding empires. IAOTP prides itself to be a one of a kind boutique networking organization that hand picks only the best of the best and creates a networking platform that connects and brings these top professionals to one place.
For More information on IAOTP please visit: www.iaotp.com
