Harrison Shull

{{Infobox scientist | name = Harrison Shull | birth_date = {{birth date|1923|8|17}} | death_date = {{death date and age|2003|7|28|1923|8|17}} | fields = Theoretical chemistry | workplaces = Indiana University Bloomington<br>Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute<br>University of Colorado Boulder<br>Naval Postgraduate School | alma_mater = Princeton University<br>University of California, Berkeley | known_for = Natural orbital theory }}

'''Harrison Shull''' (August 17, 1923 – July 28, 2003) was an American theoretical chemist and academic administrator known for foundational contributions to quantum chemistry, particularly the development of natural orbital theory in electronic structure calculations. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1969.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Harrison Shull |url=https://www.nasonline.org/directory-entry/harrison-shull-52giij/ |access-date=2026-02-13 |website=National Academy of Sciences member directory}}</ref> Shull later served as provost or chief academic officer at several institutions, including Indiana University Bloomington, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the University of Colorado Boulder, and the Naval Postgraduate School.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Harrison Shull |url=https://archives.rpi.edu/institute-history/harrison-shull |access-date=2026-02-12 |website=RPI Institute History}}</ref>

==Early life and education==

Shull was born in Princeton, New Jersey, the youngest son of geneticist George Harrison Shull, a professor at Princeton University known for his work on hybrid corn.<ref name=":1">{{cite book |last=McClure |first=Donald S. |author2=Michael Kasha |title=Harrison Shull, 1923–2003 |publisher=National Academy of Sciences |year=2005|url=https://www.nationalacademies.org/read/11522/chapter/19}}</ref> He graduated first in his class from Princeton High School and received his A.B. in chemistry with highest honors from Princeton University in 1943.<ref name=":1" />

During World War II, he worked in the chemistry division of the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., later receiving the rank of ensign.<ref name=":1" /> After the war, Shull earned his Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley in 1948, where he studied molecular excited states and electronic structure theory.<ref name=":1" /> He subsequently held a National Research Council fellowship at the University of Chicago, working with physicist Robert S. Mulliken on molecular orbital theory.<ref name=":1" />

==Career==

After completing his postdoctoral work with Robert S. Mulliken at the University of Chicago, Shull joined Iowa State University as an assistant professor with a joint appointment in the Ames Laboratory. His early research focused on electronic structure theory and transition probabilities in small molecules, at a time when digital computing was beginning to transform chemical research.<ref name=":1" />

In collaboration with Per-Olov Löwdin at Uppsala University, Shull helped develop the concept of natural orbitals in the mid-1950s.<ref name=":1" /> Their work provided new methods for describing electron correlation in atoms and molecules and influenced the emerging field of ab initio quantum chemistry.<ref name=":1" /> He applied these approaches to helium, hydrogen, and related systems, contributing to improved theoretical treatments of molecular bonding and excited states.<ref name=":1" />

In 1955 Shull joined Indiana University Bloomington, where he remained for 24 years.<ref name=":0" /> He became an advocate for the use of large-scale computing in chemistry and founded the Quantum Chemistry Program Exchange (QCPE), which distributed computational chemistry software to researchers internationally.<ref name=":0" /> At Indiana he later served as dean of the graduate school and as vice-chancellor for research and development.<ref name=":0" />

In 1979 Shull was appointed provost of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.<ref name=":0" /> He served as chancellor of the University of Colorado Boulder from 1982 to 1986, where he promoted campus-wide adoption of computing technologies. From 1988 to 1995, he was provost and vice president for academic affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.<ref name=":0" />

== Honors and recognition ==

* National Academy of Sciences (elected 1969) * American Academy of Arts and Sciences (elected 1973)<ref name=":1" /> * American Association for the Advancement of Science (elected 1978)<ref name=":1" /> * Guggenheim Fellowship (1954)<ref name=":1" />

== References == {{reflist}}

{{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Shull, Harrison}} Category:1923 births Category:2003 deaths Category:American theoretical chemists Category:Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Category:Indiana University faculty Category:Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute faculty Category:University of Colorado Boulder faculty Category:Naval Postgraduate School faculty Category:Princeton University alumni Category:University of California, Berkeley alumni