Robert L. Wolke is professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh and a food columnist for The Washington Post. As an educator and lecturer, he enjoys a national reputation for his ability to make science understandable and enjoyable.

He is the author of Impact: Science on Society and Chemistry Explained, as well as dozens of scientific research papers. His latest book, the fourth in his Einstein series on everyday science, is What Einstein Told His Cook 2, The Sequel: Further Adventures in Kitchen Science.

Robert L. Wolke has won the James Beard Foundation's award for the best newspaper column and the International Association of Culinary Professionals' (IACP) Bert Greene Award for the best newspaper food writing. "What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained" was nominated by both the James Beard Foundation and the IACP as the best technical or reference book of the year. The American Chemical Society has selected Dr. Wolke for the 2005 Grady-Stack Award for interpreting chemistry for the public. Read an interview with Robert Wolke.