John Ugelstad

John Ugelstad was a Norwegian chemical engineer and inventor, known for discovering a process to manufacture monodisperse micropellets or microbeads and dynabeads. He was a professor at the Norwegian Institute of Technology and consultant for DuPont. He obtained his PhD at the University of Leiden in 1955 and worked at SINTEF and the Institute of Industrial Chemistry at NTH. He developed a new theory of emulsion polymerization that replaced the former ones and dominated the field. He also invented a method to produce polymer particles that can absorb more than 1000 times their own volume of water-soluble organisms. He patented his method and later developed magnetic monodisperse particles that have applications in biotechnology, medicine, and research. His discovery of monodisperse spheres was considered one of the most important achievements in biochemical analysis in the second half of the 20th century. He received several awards and honors for his work, including the Gunnerus Medal, the Rosing Prize, and the King's Medal of Merit. He died in 1997 at the age of 76.