Mas Subramanian (b. 1953) joined the OSU Chemistry faculty in 2006, following a prolific twenty-two year research career at DuPont, a time period during which he published more than 200 papers and secured some 50 patents. A leader in the field of solid state chemistry, and a heavily cited expert on a class of minerals called pyrochlores, Subramanian is perhaps best known for his laboratory's discovery of a new form of blue pigment. First synthesized accidentally in 2009, this new type of colorant possesses highly advantageous environmental properties and can also be structurally manipulated to create nearly every color in the spectrum. Subramanian's interview traces his upbringing and education in India; his work habits and hugely productive tenure at DuPont; his institutional memories of Chemistry at OSU; the import of his serendipitous pigment discovery and his thoughts on the role that chance has often played in the history of scientific advancement.
Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen for inclusion in the Oregon State University Sesquicentennial Oral History Collection (OH 26), Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Oregon State University Libraries.
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