John Gamble Kirkwood (30.05.1907-9.08.1959) was an American theoretical physicist and chemist and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. He was born in Gotebo. He graduated from the University of Chicago (1926), and in 1929 he received the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he worked with interruptions until 1934; in 1934—37 he was at Cornell University, in 1937 —38 at Chicago, in 1938—47 professor at Cornell University, in 1947 — 51 at the California Institute of Technology, and from 1951 professor and dean of the faculty of chemistry at Yale University.
His work was in the field of statistical physics, non-equilibrium thermodynamics, the physics of liquids and chemistry. He was one of the creators of the modern theory of the liquid state. In the 1950s, independently of I. Prigogine, he carried out the first studies in the statistical thermodynamics of irreversible processes. He constructed a theory of electrolytes which played a large part in explaining the properties of proteins.
He founded a theoretical school. Yale University has established a medal named after J. Kirkwood.