International expert & educator in chemistry

Vice President of corporate research for General Mills

Dr. Wittcoff’s career as a chemist and executive has spanned over 66 years. He was first inspired to pursue chemistry by his high-school chemistry teacher, and then his college professor. After high school graduation in 1936, Harold attended DePauw University on a Rector Scholarship. He graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1940 and in 1943, earned his Ph.D. from Northwestern University. He also received a certificate from the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University in 1964.
In 1943, at the age of 24, he started his career with General Mills, Inc. as a staff member. He became Vice President and Research Director in 1969 and held that position for 10 years. From 1982 to 1985 he served as Director, Process Evaluation and Research Planning for Chem Systems out of Tarrytown, NY. Harold was a Scientific Adviser to Nexant/Chem Systems, White Plains, NY from 1982 to 2009. He was also Director, Research and Development, Koor Chemicals, Beer Sheva, Israel, 1979-1982 and a visiting professor from 1995-2005, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand; and Adjunct Professor of Chemistry, Weizmann Institute, Israel 1980-2005.
Dr. Wittcoff has taught industrial organic chemistry at the University of Minnesota while serving as Vice President of Corporate Research for General Mills, Inc. As a Scientific Adviser to Nexant Chem Systems, he has presented 300 3-day short courses in industrial chemistry in twenty-eight countries. He is author/co-author of 130 patents and sixty technical publications.
Harold is a recipient of the Minnesota Award American Chemical Society in 1976 and listed in Marquis Who’s Who in America. He also is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi, and Phi Eta Sigma honorary fraternities.