Bernard F. Erlanger was a technical adviser on the Manhattan Project who worked at Uravan, CO and at Los Alamos. He worked on the trigger mechanism and was present at the Trinity test. His wife, Rachel Erlanger, also worked on the Manhattan Project.
After the war, he returned to school where he earned his master’s degree at NYU and a Ph.D in biochemistry at Columbia University in 1951. After receiving his doctorate, Dr. Erlanger joined the faculty of Columbia University in 1952. At Columbia, Erlanger created a new technique for making antibodies to steroids. However, he was unable to patent his method.
His career also included a Fulbright Scholarship, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Townsend Harris Medal. He was also the Professor Emeritus of Microbiology & Immunology at Columbia University Medical Center.
Dr. Erlanger passed away on September 8, 2011, at age 88.