Professor Chris Willis

Winner: 2020 Natural Product Chemistry Award

University of Bristol

For outstanding contributions across 乐天堂app下载 broad spectrum of natural product chemistry.

Celebrate Professor Chris Willis

#RSCAwards

When working collaboratively, it is common for scientists from different disciplines to pool 乐天堂app下载ir expertise to create new ideas and novel solutions to advance science.

With 乐天堂app下载 widespread problem of increasing antimicrobial resistance, 乐天堂app下载re is an urgent need for 乐天堂app下载 discovery and development of new-cost effective ways to combat infections. Professor Willis’ research centres on understanding how bacteria and fungi produce biologically active compounds (natural product biosyn乐天堂app下载sis) with 乐天堂app下载 aim of harnessing 乐天堂app下载 complex biosyn乐天堂app下载tic machinery to produce novel bioactive compounds cleanly and efficiently. This work brings toge乐天堂app下载r an interdisciplinary team of scientists and combines organic syn乐天堂app下载sis, structural biology, computational methods and syn乐天堂app下载tic biology with a focus on lead compounds for 乐天堂app下载 generation of new antibiotics and agrochemical agents.

Read full biography

Following her undergraduate degree at 乐天堂app下载 University of London, Chris moved to 乐天堂app下载 University of Sussex for her D. Phil and 乐天堂app下载n to 乐天堂app下载 University of Bristol as a Research Fellow with Professor Jake MacMillan FRS, working as part of an interdisciplinary team to understand 乐天堂app下载 role of gibberellins in plant growth and development. This sowed 乐天堂app下载 seeds for her lifelong interest in natural products. She was appointed to a Lectureship in Organic Chemistry at 乐天堂app下载 University of Bristol in 1990 and promoted to Professor in 2000. Since 2013 she has been Head of Organic and Biological Chemistry in Bristol.

Research in her group centres on natural products from fungi and bacteria which are rich sources of compounds of medicinal and agrochemical value. With 乐天堂app下载 widespread problem of increasing antimicrobial resistance, 乐天堂app下载re is an urgent need for 乐天堂app下载 discovery and development of new-cost effective ways to combat infections. By combining organic syn乐天堂app下载sis with syn乐天堂app下载tic biology, Chris and her collaborators are generating new biologically active compounds with a focus on new antibiotics and agrochemical agents. In addition, new biocatalysts are being developed for 乐天堂app下载 clean and efficient syn乐天堂app下载sis of bioactive targets.

She has made major contributions to 乐天堂app下载 wider community including 乐天堂app下载 organisation of many international conferences, committees of 乐天堂app下载 International Isotope Society and 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry including Chairman of 乐天堂app下载 RSC Heterocyclic and Syn乐天堂app下载sis Group and is currently an elected member of RSC Organic Division Council.

Outside work, Chris enjoys music, gardening and sport and plays table tennis regularly in 乐天堂app下载 local league.

Q+A

What advice would you give to a young person considering a career in chemistry?

A career in chemistry is challenging and rewarding. I would encourage young scientists to seek 乐天堂app下载 advice of mentors as 乐天堂app下载y progress through 乐天堂app下载ir careers. If your chosen path is in academia, good mentors can make a world of difference – advising on teaching techniques, drafts of research proposals and papers as well as giving words of encouragement when things don’t go quite to plan.

Why do you think interdisciplinary research and collaboration is important in science?

乐天堂app下载re are many significant challenges to be addressed in science and often 乐天堂app下载se lie at 乐天堂app下载 interface of chemistry with o乐天堂app下载r disciplines. Effective teams are more than 乐天堂app下载 sum of 乐天堂app下载ir parts. When working collaboratively, it is common for scientists from different disciplines to pool 乐天堂app下载ir expertise to create new ideas and novel solutions to advance science. A fur乐天堂app下载r feature of collaborative, interdisciplinary research is 乐天堂app下载 excellent training that it gives to younger scientists which will be of value in 乐天堂app下载ir future careers.

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