Jerker Porath, (23 October 1921 – 21 January 2016) was a Swedish biochemist who invented several separation methods for biomolecules.
[1][2] Porath studied at Uppsala University and initially did research in organic chemistry under Arne Fredga, where he got his licentiate degree.
Back in Uppsala he developed methods for zone electrophoresis and ion exchange chromatography for hormone purification.
[1] He received his Ph.D. in Uppsala 1957 with the thesis Zone electrophoresis in columns and adsorption chromatography on ionic cellulose derivatives as methods for peptide and protein fractionations: application to the study of posterior pituitary hormones.
In 1957, Porath discovered that columns filled with dextran gel could be used as "molecular sieves" to separate biomolecules by size.