Kary B. Mullis Biography

He attended Dreher High School where he developed an interest in chemistry. Later on he went to the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta from where he earned a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in chemistry in 1966. 

He then proceeded to the University of California, Berkeley, for his graduate work and performed research work in J. B. Neilands' laboratory where he focused on synthesis and structure of bacterial iron transporter molecules. He completed his PhD in 1972, and lectured in biochemistry there until 1973.

In 1979, he joined the biotechnology company Cetus Corporation of Emeryville, California, as a DNA chemist. It was there that he began his seminal work on oligonucleotide synthesis that led to his improvements to the polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

From 1986 to 1988, he was director of molecular biology for Xytronyx Inc. in San Diego where his work was concentrated in DNA technology and photochemistry. Around this time he also began consulting on nucleic acid chemistry for more than a dozen corporations, including Angenics, Cytometrics, Eastman Kodak, Abbott Labs, Milligen/Biosearch, and Specialty Laboratories.

In 1992, he founded a business with the intent of selling pieces of jewelry containing the amplified DNA of deceased celebrities like Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe.

Mullis served on the board of scientific advisors of several companies and provided expert advice in legal matters involving DNA. He was also a member of the USA Science and Engineering Festival's Advisory Board. He used to take lectures frequently at college campuses and attended academic meetings around the world.

Kary B. Mullis is known for the development of polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a technique used in molecular biology to amplify a single copy or a few copies of a piece of DNA across several orders of magnitude. This is a very important technique used in medical and biological research labs for a variety of applications.

Kary B. Mullis was awarded one-half of the Nobel Prize in 1993, "for his invention of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method" and the other half went to Michael Smith "for his fundamental contributions to the establishment of oligonucleotide-based, site-directed mutagenesis and its development for protein studies."

In 1993, he was also presented with the Japan Prize for the development of the polymerase chain reaction.

Kary B. Mullis married four times and had three children. He was married to Nancy Cosgrove at the time of his death. He had two grandchildren.

He enjoyed writing and surfing.

Kary B. Mullis died from complications of pneumonia, on August 7, 2019. He was 74.

Mullis was known for his unconventional and colorful personality, often wearing tie-dye shirts and surfing in his free time.

He once claimed to have invented the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique while driving through the mountains of Northern California on LSD.

Mullis was an avid fan of science fiction and believed in the existence of extraterrestrial life.

He enjoyed playing the guitar and was passionate about music, often incorporating his love for rock and roll into his scientific presentations.

Mullis had a reputation for being a maverick in the scientific community, pushing boundaries and challenging conventional thinking.