Tetrahedron Symposium Speaker Biography

Robert M. Williams

Robert M. Williams (born 1953) received a B.A. degree in Chemistry from Syracuse University in 1975 and obtained his Ph.D. degree in 1979 from MIT (W.H. Rastetter). He was a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard University (R.B. Woodward and Y. Kishi 1979-80). He joined the faculty at Colorado State University in 1980 and was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 1985, Full Professor in 1988, and University Distinguished Professor in 2002, his current position. Dr. Williams has received several Honors and Awards including the NIH Research Career Development Award (1984-1989); The Eli Lilly Young Investigator Award (1986); Fellow of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation (1986); the Merck, Academic Development Award (1991), the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science Fellowship (1999) and the Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award (2002).

He serves on the Editorial Board of Chemistry & Biology; is North American Regional Editor for Tetrahedron:Asymmetry and serves on the Tetrahedron Executive Board. He served as Editor for Amino Acids (1991~1998) and is a Series co-Editor for The Organic Chemistry Series, (Pergamon Press/Elsevier). Prof. Williams was a founder and member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Microcide Pharmaceutical Co. from 1993-1998 (Mountainview, California). He was a founding scientist, Member of the Scientific Advisory Board and Member of the Board of Directors of Xcyte Therapies (Seattle, Washington) from 1995-2006. He is a founder and member of the Scientific Advisory Board of HemaQuest, (Boston, Massachusetts; 2006-present).

Prof. Williams’ research interests utilize the tools of organic synthesis to study problems in chemical biology. Williams has judiciously deployed total synthesis to interrogate hypotheses concerning the biomechanism and/or biosynthesis of complex, biologically significant natural products. Much of Williams’ recent work on complex alkaloid total synthesis is based on his development of the first asymmetric electrophilic glycine template to synthesize a-amino acids; a commercialized technology (Aldrich).