Waldeck was born in
Cincinnati, Ohio. He attended the
University of Cincinnati, earning his
BS degree in 1978. He also attended the
University of Chicago, earning his
PhD degree in
chemistry in 1983. After earning his degrees, he worked as a
postdoctoral fellow at the
University of California, Berkeley from 1983 to 1985. Waldeck started his independent research career in 1985 in the department of chemistry at the
University of Pittsburgh as an Assistant Professor, then Associate Professor in 1991 and Professor in 1997. He served as Chair of Chemistry at the
University of Pittsburgh from 2005-2014 and was named a
distinguished professor in 2024. Waldeck died on February 25, 2026, at the age of 69. == References ==