In Memoriam

Professor Michael Conrad, one of the editors of this book, passed away on December 28, 2000 after a battle with lymphoma. Michael was truly a giant figure in the fields of non–von Neumann, biologically oriented information processing. His efforts were fundamental and manifold.

In the mid-1980s, I took an interest in solving problems of high computational complexity. As a first step, I prepared a paper wherein I tried to formulate approaches based on information processing by biomolecular and simple biological entities. I sent it to the Journal of Molecular Structure. Shortly thereafter, I received a very professional and friendly referee's report. The referee did not want to remain anonymous. Professor Michael Conrad from Wayne University was the referee for my paper. We met later in Moscow, and during the following years, I remained in close contact with Michael—the recognized leader in the field—and had the opportunity to discuss with him general principles of molecular and chemical-based computing. Michael's fundamental pioneering ideas lie at the foundation of this field.

Michael received an AB in biology from Harvard University in 1963 and a PhD in biophysics from Stanford University in 1969. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Theoretical Studies at the University of Miami and a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Mathematics at the University of California at Berkeley. He spent three years at the Institute of Information Processing at the University of Tubingen in Germany. In 1979, he moved to the position of professor of computer science at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan after holding associate professorships in the Biology Department at the City College of New York and in the Department of Computer and Communication Sciences at the University of Michigan.

He wrote more than two hundred scientific publications on such topics as molecular information processing, enzyme and membrane dynamics, computational modeling of complex biological systems, neuromolecular networks and brain models, evolutionary programming, adaptability theory, and comparative analysis of information processing in organisms and machines. His pioneering works—"Molecular information processing in the central nervous system" (1974), "On design principles for a molecular computer" (1985), and "The brain-machine disanalogy" (1989), are the fundamental basis of contemporary molecular and chemical-based information processing.

Michael's high standards and friendly psychological background were an inspiration for his students. Without exception, they will tell of their special relationship with Michael, his unending support and tireless devotion to them, even after their graduation.

Michael was a versatile and gifted person. He was keen on modern painting. And his rare moments of relaxation were devoted to this flame. He was a good friend and a loving husband and father.

We miss him greatly, but he has shown us an example to follow.

Nicholas G. Rambidi