J. Cooper McDonald was born in Athens, AL, in 1974. He received his B.S. Degree from Erskine College in 1996 and his Ph.D. degree with George M. Whitesides from Harvard University in 2001. He is now a Technology Specialist in the intellectual property law firm Clark & Elbing in Boston, MA.

George M. Whitesides was born in Lexignton, KY, in 1939. He received his A.B. degree from Harvard University in 1960 and his Ph.D. degree with John D. Roberts from the California Institute of Technology in 1964. He was a member of the faculty of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1963 to 1982. He joined the Department of Chemistry at Harvard University in 1982, where he is now the Mallinckrodt Professor of Chemistry. His research interests include microfabrication, materials science, surface chemistry, self-assembly, rational drug design, and molecular recognition.