Donald M. Burland

Donald M. Burland, former executive officer of the division of chemistry at NSF and department manager at the IBM Almaden Research Center, died on 10 March 2025, after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.

Don was born on 14 September 1943, in La Jolla, California. He attended Dartmouth College, where he graduated in 1965 with an AB in chemistry, and then Caltech, where in 1970 he received a PhD in chemistry and physics. His thesis title was “Spectroscopic investigations of inter- and intramolecular processes in crystalline benzene.” His thesis advisor was G. Wilse Robinson.

Don next did a two-year postdoctoral stint in the research group of Joan van der Waals at the University of Leiden, Netherlands, where he performed basic research on applications of microwave-induced delayed emission and the Zeeman effect to molecular crystals.

In 1971, Don joined the IBM Research Division in San Jose, California, where he served for 26 years in various research and management positions at the San Jose Research Lab and then the Almaden Research Center. His career arc spanned from basic research to applied research.

As a researcher, his initial focus was fundamental research on energy-transfer processes in organic solid-state systems. In recognition of that work, he was elected a fellow of the American Physical Society (APS) in 1982.

From 1980 to 1982, Don’s research activity shifted to the development of holographic photochemistry as a means of following the progress of solid-state photochemical reactions. I was glad to collaborate with him on that work. The technique involved measuring the temporal growth in diffraction efficiency of a hologram produced by the interference of two laser beams in a medium containing the species whose photochemistry is being investigated. The technique was used to study photodissociation and hydrogen abstraction reactions. A byproduct of the work with practical applications was the first two-photon holographic recording with continuous wave lasers where optical gating of the holographic sensitivity was observed and high diffraction efficiency could be achieved.

In 1982, Don shifted into management of applied research. He led groups with responsibility for the development of new particulate media in magnetic recording disks and for studying the physics and chemistry underlying inkjet and electrophotographic printing technologies. From 1985 to 1989, he was director of the Electrophotography Technology Laboratory, a joint research and product division effort aimed at developing and transferring new technologies in IBM’s electrophotographic printers and copiers.

In 1989, Don returned to organic materials research, and I was glad to join him in the management of a newly formed department of chemists, physicists, and engineers with responsibility for developing new organic materials that exhibit large second-order nonlinear optical effects. The materials included novel electro-optic polymers with applications for waveguide modulators and the first photorefractive polymers with applications for holographic data storage. After I left IBM in 1994, Don continued to manage the research program until he retired from IBM in 1997. During that time, he became codirector of an NSF-supported Center on Polymer Interfaces and Macromolecular Assemblies. The center included participation from IBM Research, Stanford University, and the University of California, Davis. From 1989 to 1997, Don also found the time to conduct individual research on femtosecond laser spectroscopy of processes in polymers and crystals.

After retiring from IBM, Don started a second career at NSF, where he served from 1997 to 2004 as executive officer and acting director of the division of chemistry. There he was responsible for the day-to-day operation of the division, which provided $180 million annually for basic research in chemistry. He developed budgets, supervised personnel, communicated extensively with the academic scientific community, and participated in NSF and government-wide task forces on science policy issues.

Don’s honors include his election as APS fellow, the IBM Research Division Award, and the IBM Patent Achievement Award.

Don is remembered by his friends, colleagues, and family for his wide-ranging interests beyond science and his wonderful sense of humor. He was an aficionado of the performing arts, including music, opera, and theater. After retiring from the NSF in 2004, he settled in rural Virginia and gave substantial support to Wintergreen Performing Arts, which brought classical music to the Blue Ridge; Don served for several years as its president. He is survived by his wife, Jan; his son, David, and daughter-in-law, Molly; and two grandchildren. He will be sorely missed.

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