Arthur Joseph Epstein

Arthur Joseph Epstein, Ohio State University Distinguished Professor of Physics and Chemistry, died on 25 August in Columbus, Ohio, at the age of 74. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Paulayne Sklarsky Epstein; his daughters Melissa Epstein (Adam Jackson) of New York City and Dana Stein (Michael) of Baltimore; his grandchildren Samson Stein, Astrid Stein, and Gabriel Joseph Jackson; his sister Renee Goldman (Barry) of Mountain Lakes, New Jersey; his brother Lewis Epstein of Scotch Plains, New Jersey; and numerous nieces and nephews. Predeceasing him were his parents (Benjamin Epstein and Esther Fellner Epstein) and his sister (Susan Epstein Blumenfield).

Epstein codiscovered the first magnet based on organic materials in 1985 and was recognized as the world’s leading expert in how polymers conduct electricity. During his 28-year career at Ohio State, he advised 56 doctoral students to completion, advised eight master’s students, and mentored 26 undergraduate students. He published more than 700 articles, and his work has been cited more than 30 000 times in scientific publications. He received 42 patents between 1989 and 2011. In addition to his research accomplishments, Epstein was a principal organizer and 14-year director of Ohio State’s Center for Materials Research.

Epstein was a fellow of the American Academy for the Advancement of Sciences and a member of the American Physical Society and the American Chemical Society, and he was editor-in-chief of the Journal of Synthetic Metals. He helped found several companies based on his group’s research, including Eeonyx Corp and Traycer, and he served as a consultant for DuPont, Xerox, Honda, and Mitsubishi.

Before his university career, Epstein spent 13 years in industry research as a principal scientist at the Xerox Corporation’s Webster Research Center. He graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 1962 and received a BS in physics (cum laude) from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn in 1966. He then received an MS in physics in 1967 and a PhD in physics in 1971, both from the University of Pennsylvania.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Arthur J. Epstein Distinguished Emeritus Professor Graduate Endowed Travel Fund (phone 614-292-2141) or the American Pardes Foundation .