BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Jaan Laane was born on June 20, 1942 in Paide, Estonia. He became a naturalized U. S. citizen in 1956.

EDUCATION

University of Illinois(Urbana), B. S. in Chemistry (June, 1964); Highest Distinction in Chemistry; Kendall Award (Outstanding Senior in Chemistry) and Highest University Honors (Bronze Tablet); Research Advisor: T. L. Brown

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ph.D. in Chemistry (August, 1967);  Kodak Award for Outstanding Chemistry Graduate Student (1967); Research Advisor: R.C. Lord.

University of Tartu, Estonia, Honorary D.Sc., (2000).

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Visiting Staff Member, Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (summers)--- 1964-68

Assistant Professor, Tufts University--- 1967-68

Assistant (1968), Associate (1972), and Full (1976) Professor of Chemistry, Texas A&M University--- 1968-current

Visiting Professor, University of Bayreuth, Germany (Humboldt U. S. Senior Scientist Award)--- 1979-80, 1981, 1983

Visiting Professor, University of Ulm, Germany--- 1986

Visiting Professor, Stanford University--- 2002

Visiting Professor, University of Colorado (JILA)--- 2002

Professor of Physics & Astronomy, Texas A&M University--- 2007-current

Visiting Professor, Technische Universität, München, Germany (with A. Laubereau)--- 2009

ADMINISTRATION

Chairman, Division of Physical and Nuclear Chemistry--- 1977-87, 1993-94

Speaker, Faculty Senate, Texas A&M University--- 1985-86

Associate Dean of Science (graduate studies)--- 1994-97

Director, Institute for Pacific Asia (Texas A&M)--- 1987-90

Exec. Deputy Director/Sr. Policy Advisor, Texas A&M, Japan--- 1990-94

Board of Directors, Alexander von Humboldt Association of America--- 2004-06

President-Elect, Alexander von Humboldt Association of America--- 2005-07

President, Alexander von Humboldt Association of America--- 2007-09

Board of Directors, American Friends of Alexander von Humboldt Fndn.--- 2009-current

Co-Chair, Alumni Council, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation--- 2009-current

EDITORSHIPS

Editor, Journal of Molecular Structure 1994-current

Editorial Board (with editorial authority), International Journal of Spectroscopy 2008-current

Editorial Board, Laser Chemistry 2009-current

Editorial Board, Journal of Spectroscopy & Dynamics 2010-current

HONORS AND AWARDS

E.J. James Scholar (1960-64) 

A.P. Sloan Scholar (1962-64) 

Illinois State Scholar (1960-1964)

W. Morova Scholar (1960-62)

Phi Eta Sigma (1961); Phi Kappa Phi (1962)

Chemical Rubber Award (1961)

A.S. Larsen Award (1961)

Tomahawk (Activity Honorary, 1961)

Kendall Award (The Outstanding Senior in Chemistry, 1964)

University Honors (1961, 1962, 1963, 1964)

Bronze Tablet (Highest University Honors, 1964)

Phi Lambda Upsilon (1963)

National Science Foundation Fellow (1964-67)

Woodrow Wilson Fellow (1964-65)

Kodak Award (The Outstanding Graduate Student in Chemistry, 1967)

Alexander von Humboldt U.S. Senior Scientist Award (1979)

Association of Former Students Teaching Award (1982)

National Science Council Lectureship (Taiwan, 1984)

Fellow, American Physical Society (1996)

Fellow, American Institute of Chemists (1987)

Phi Beta Delta, International Honor Society (1987), president (1990-91)

Korean Chemical Society Lectureship (1989)

Waseda University (Tokyo) Lectureship (1996)

Elected to Estonian Academy of Science (1996)

University of Valladolid (Spain) University Lectureship (1997)

University of Ulm (Germany) Lectureship (1997)

Robert A. Welch Foundation Lectureship (1998-1999)

Honorary Doctorate, University of Tartu, Estonia (2000)

Frontiers in Chemical Physics Lectures, The Ohio State University (2003)

EUCMOS Lectureship (Krakow, 2004)

Takahashi Lectureship (Tokyo, 2005)

E.R. Lippincott Award in Molecular Spectroscopy (2005)

Humboldt Research Award (2009)

TOTAL PUBLICATIONS

322 including three books and 14 invited book chapters

TOTAL CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

Approximately 400 including plenary and invited conference presentations/lectures

GRADUATE STUDENTS (Ph.D. and M.S.)

Graduate student degrees: 39 Ph.D.; 5 M.S.

Undergraduate researchers: more than 50

Post-doctoral Research Associates: approximately 20

Visiting faculty researchers: approximately 15

SELECTED PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

American Chemical Society, Texas A&M Section, Chair (1977), Alt. Councilor

Coblentz Society, Board of Managers (1983-87), Treasurer (1985-88)

Chairman, Physical Chemistry, Southwest Regional American Chemical Society Meeting (1984)

Program Advisory Committee and/or Session Chair for numerous spectroscopy meetings

President, Phi Beta Delta Honor Society, TAMU chapter (1990-91)

Director, NATO Advanced Research Workshop, Ulm, Germany (September, 1992)

Co-organizer, symposium on “Structure and Dynamics of Electronic Excited States” at Pacifichem ’95

International Advisory Board, European Conference on Molecular Spectroscopy (EUCMOS) (1994-present)

International Advisory Board, International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy, The Ohio State University (1997-2000)

President, Texas Section (2001-2002), National Board of Directors (2004-2006), President-Elect (2005-2007), President (2007-2009), Alexander von Humboldt Society of America

Editorial Board, International Journal of Spectroscopy (2008)

Editorial Board, Laser Chemistry (2009)

Editorial Board, Journal of Spectroscopy & Dynamics (2010)

Scientific Committee for Turkish Congress on Molecular Spectroscopy (2012-2013)

Honorary Editorial Board, Reports in Theoretical Chemistry (2015)