John P. Doering

John P. Doering, 73, a longtime faculty member in the department of chemistry at Johns Hopkins University, died at home on Dec. 13, 2010, from cardiac arrest.

Doering earned a B.A. in chemistry from Johns Hopkins in 1958 and a doctorate at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1961. He returned to Johns Hopkins to join its faculty in 1964, becoming a full professor in 1970.

His research focused on the collisions of electrons with atoms and molecules in the atmospheres of planets and in stars. Doering studied excitation and ionization of atoms and molecules by electron impact. His determination of the rates of excitation of atomic oxygen has been particularly important in modeling atmospheric chemistry.

He was a leader in the use of rockets and satellites for measurement of electrons in the Earth’s atmosphere. As part of the National Aeronautics & Space Administration’s Atmosphere Explorer satellite missions between 1970 and 1983, his laboratory measured the photoelectron spectrum of the atmosphere. He was a member of ACS from 1981 until 1999.

Doering is survived by his wife, Zahava; seven children; and 10 grandchildren.