William Gould Young

William Gould Young (July 30, 1902 to July 5, 1980) was an American physical organic chemist born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, who earned his doctorate at Caltech under Howard J. Lucas before joining the faculty of the University of California, Los Angeles, where he later served as vice chancellor for thirteen years. His research on the molecular rearrangements of allyl groups helped establish how such rearrangements proceed, and he mentored a generation of chemists including his own student John D. Roberts. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences, and UCLA's chemistry building was later named in his honor.