He was born in Montreal, Canada, in 1923. He graduated from McGill University (Montreal, Canada) in 1943 and obtained his Ph.D. from the same university three years later.

His scientific career began in Ottawa at the National Research Council of Canada. He carried out his most significant studies on the theory of chemical reactions involving electron transfer during his time as an Associate Professor at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn (USA). He currently holds the position of Arthur Amos Noyes Professor at the California Institute of Technology (CALTECH).

He holds ten honorary doctorates from universities in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Japan, and is an honorary member of numerous national and international scientific societies.

He is Honorary Editor of the International Journal of Quantum Chemistry and serves on the editorial boards of 14 other international journals. He has been President of the National Research Council and has served as an executive for many other public and private organizations.

He has received many prestigious international scientific awards, including the Debye and Gibbs Medals and the Lavoisier and Pauling Prizes. In 1992, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for his research on electron transfer reactions. These reactions play an important role in the cycle by which plants use solar energy to produce oxygen from carbon dioxide and water, in the respiration of humans and other living beings, and in many other processes such as metal corrosion, the light emission of fireflies, and the operation of rechargeable car batteries.

He has published hundreds of original scientific papers, review articles, books, and book chapters.

Married to his wife for fifty years and a father of three.