Hollaender, Alexander, 1898-1986

Hollaender (1898-1986). Biologist (biophysics, radiation biology, and chemical matagenesis) and Director of the Division of Biology at the Atomic Energy Commission's Oak Ridge National Laboratory from 1946 to 1966.

Alexander Hollaender is a geneticist who served as director of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory from 1946 to 1966.

Hollaender (1898-1986). Biologist (biophysics, radiation biology, and chemical mutagenesis) and Director of the Division of Biology at the Atomic Energy Commission's Oak Ridge National Laboratory from 1946 to 1966.

Geneticist Alexander Hollaender was born in Samter, Germany on 19 December 1898. He immigrated to the United States in 1921 around the age of 23 and became a naturalized citizen in 1927. He obtained his secondary education at the University of Wisconsin were he received his AB in 1929, his MA in 1930, and his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry in 1931. While fulfilling his college requirements, Hollaender served as assistant instructor in physical chemistry. Hollaender continued his stay at the University of Wisconsin from 1931 until 1933 as instructor of Biology.

From early on in his career, Hollaender was interested in the problems of radiation biology and chemical mutagenesis. In 1934 he held the Rockefeller Foundation fellowship for the study of chemical radiation. Following that, he supervised a National Research Council project on radiation at Wisconsin from 1934 until 1937. Upon completion of the project, Hollaender moved to the Washington Biophysics Institute of the National Institute of Health as an associate biologist. After only a year he was promoted to senior biophysicist, a position he held until 1950. Concurrently, he served as director of the division of biology at the Atomic Energy Commission's Oak Ridge National laboratory from 1946 to 1966 where in 1967 he was promoted to senior research advisor, a position he held until 1972.

Hollaender continued to be involved in academics throughout his life. He served on the faculty of the University of Tennessee as a professor of radiation biology from 1957 and 1966. Subsequently he served as a professor of biomedical sciences at the University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences from 1967 to 1972. During his lifetime Hollaender was a member and chairman of the National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council committee on photobiology, a member and chairman of the subcommittee on radiobiology for the National Research Council, and served as a civilian advisor to many governmental agencies. He was president of the Radiation Research Society in 1954-1955, and of the International Association for Radiation Research from 1962 until 1966. He died in Washington, D.C. on 6 December 1986.