Retired professor and Holocaust survivor makes $18 million gift to Brandeis

A long-time chemistry professor at Brandeis University and his wife have made an $18 million gift in support of research in theoretical and physical chemistry at the university, according to a Jan. 16 announcement from Brandeis.

The gift from Peter Jordan, professor emeritus, and his wife Barbara Palmer honors Jordan’s parents. His father, Hans, fled Nazi Germany with his wife and young son. A civil engineer, he faced initial barriers to professional success related to his Jewish ancestry and economic conditions before finding employment in the defense industry. In his free time, he designed and patented one of the first reliable garbage disposals. It became a popular appliance in modern post-war kitchens.

“My becoming a professor was somewhat of a full circle moment for my father,” said Jordan. “His sacrifices helped make it possible for me to pursue a career that he once aspired to and, fittingly, at a university that was founded by the American Jewish community.”

Jordan served as a chemistry professor at Brandeis for nearly 50 years, retiring in 2011.

During that career, Jordan’s research at Brandeis centered on theoretical biophysical chemistry, applying physical and chemical principles to understand biological systems — an interdisciplinary field that is crucial for areas such as drug discovery and nanoscience.

The gift will create a new senior professorship in theoretical chemistry, a junior professorship in physical chemistry, and three new graduate research fellowships in the chemistry department — which will expand research, build knowledge and inform teaching at Brandeis, the university said.

University President Arthur Levine said Jordan’s decision to make such a generous and impactful gift to Brandeis is emblematic of his love of his work and teaching, and of the institution. “Not only did Peter make us proud during his long career at Brandeis, but he has generously dedicated his resources to help the chemistry department’s future faculty and students,” he said.

Jordan and Palmer, who served as associate dean, university registrar and head of institutional research at Brandeis, also endowed the Jordan-Dreyer Endowed Summer Undergraduate Research in Chemistry Fellowship Fund in 2018.