Spinach on the Ceiling: The Multifaceted Life of a Theoretical Chemist

Spinach on the Ceiling: The Multifaceted Life of a Theoretical Chemist is an autobiography by Martin Karplus, published in 2020. Karplus, an Austrian-born American chemist, was awarded the 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on developing accurate computer models of chemical reactions that combined classical physics and quantum mechanics.1

The book details his life and career, including his academic journey through Harvard University, the California Institute of Technology, the University of Oxford, the University of Illinois, and Columbia University. It also touches upon his significant contributions to computational chemistry, particularly his collaboration with Arieh Warshel to model molecular changes, which was crucial for understanding processes like vision.1