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Jim O'Brien was born in Philadelphia on the 4th of July. He received a BS in Chemistry from Villanova University and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Minnesota. Following postdoctoral work at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, he taught for 35 years at Missouri State University in Springfield, MO. While at MSU, Dr. O'Brien received three research awards and three teaching awards, including the Governor of Missouri's Award for Teaching Excellence in 2001. In 2002 he was named Distinguished Professor.
Now retired, he does volunteer work at a Springfield hospital. He continues to lecture on "Famous Mad Hatters". His 2013 book The Scientific Sherlock Holmes (Oxford University Press) won an Edgar Award. In January 2014 he was the Distinguished Speaker for the Baker Street Irregulars Sherlock Holmes Weekend.