Dr. Joseph Walder

Dr. Joseph Walder wore many hats throughout his 73-year life.

In addition to serving as a biochemistry professor at the University of Iowa College of Medicine and founder of Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT), Walder was known for his commitment to philanthropy among the Jewish community in the Chicago area and beyond. He died on March 26. 

Born in Philadelphia in 1951, Walder grew up in Morton Grove. His love for chemistry began at an early age, and his father even built him a chemistry lab complete with a Bunsen burner and an assortment of chemicals. After graduating as valedictorian of his high school class, Walder earned an M.D. and Ph.D. from Northwestern University. 

Walder joined the University of Iowa in 1978 and his research focused on developing potential anti-sickling compounds and a hemoglobin derivative blood substitute.

Walder established IDT in 1987 through a seed grant from Baxter Health Care. He earned numerous patents for his pioneering breakthrough technologies. IDT went on to become the world’s leading provider of synthetic RNA and DNA used in life sciences research, including cancer research and virus detection. In February 2020, IDT developed the first approved test for COVID-19 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“His premise for IDT was simple: make science accessible to move discoveries forward,” IDT said in a statement announcing Walder’s death. “More than 35 years later, his vision has grown into a high-growth, high-impact business with a global footprint that now enables researchers worldwide to accelerate the pace of genomics.”

A passionate scientist, Walder displayed a similar commitment to the Jewish community. After IDT was sold in 2018, he and his wife, Elizabeth, co-founded the Walder Foundation. The foundation champions Chicago in five key areas-science innovation, environmental sustainability, performing arts, migration and immigrant communities, and Jewish life.

“As a brilliant, creative entrepreneur, his integrity earned him unwavering trust,” Elizabeth said at Walder’s Shloshim (first 30 days of mourning after a funeral) . “His intense curiosity and his passion for knowledge knew no bounds. He was an eloquent speaker in the lecture hall, in the lab, and in the boardroom. All along, his focus was on giving back. For him, the purpose of growing IDT and earning money was to use it for Torah, tzedakah , and chesed .”

Jewish education was another passion for Walder. He started the Kehillah Fund, which provides nearly $1 million annually to Chicagoland Orthodox K-8 Jewish day schools. He also played a significant role in the founding of the Walder Education, a Jewish Teachers Resource Center empowering all Judaic studied educators with the tools for success, as well as Walder Science, which provides educational science enrichment through the prism of Jewish values. 

Despite his many successes, Walder prioritized remaining humble and avoided the limelight. He drove an old Buick and found joy from giving to those in need, including the many orphans he and Elizabeth adopted and supported.

“He had tremendous empathy for children who did not fit the mold in school, children who could not be mainstreamed or were not achieving as they should be because he had struggled as a child,” Elizabeth said.

Walder had battled an illness for several years.

Walder is survived by his wife Elizabeth; his sister Diane (Lorin) Gassel; his children Moshe Chaim (Tova Leah) Walder, Kathryn (Jonathan) Walder-Christensen, and Mordechai Avrohom Walder; and his grandchildren Menacham Mann, Nechama Bracha, Shlomo Zalman, Benjamin Kiseki, Roselyn Yasuko, and Matthew Everett Takeshi. He is preceded in death by one of his adopted children, Eliyahu, in whose memory the Walders named two schools.

The funeral was held at Ateres Ayala. Internment Israel. Donations in Walder’s memory may be made to your favorite charity. 

This story drew in part upon the obituaries posted on the Walder Foundation and eJewish Philanthropy’s websites.