Michael Bendikov

Michael Bendikov, 42, an associate professor of organic chemistry at Weizmann Institute of Science, in Rehovot, Israel, died on July 2 after a long fight with cancer.

Born in Ukraine, Bendikov immigrated to Israel and received B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees at Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, where he worked with chemistry professor Yitzhak Apeloig. In 2001, he joined Fred Wudl’s group at the University of California, Los Angeles, as a postdoctoral fellow. Bendikov began his career at Weizmann Institute in 2004.

Bendikov’s research focused on applying physical organic chemistry methods to materials science to design new electronic materials. His group prepared extended-chain oligofurans and synthesized the first highly conductive polyselenophene. His colleagues are now calling these classes of materials “bendimers” in his honor.

Bendikov received numerous awards, including the 2007 DuPont Young Professor Award, the 2009 Israel Chemical Society Outstanding Young Scientist Prize, and the 2010 Journal of Physical Organic Chemistry Award for Early Excellence.

In 2014, the Israel Chemical Society is planning a special issue of the Israel Journal of Chemistry on organic electronics that will be dedicated to Bendikov’s memory.

He is survived by his wife, Tatyana, and two daughters.