Winner: 2025 Centenary Prize for Chemistry and Communication
Professor Donna Blackmond
Scripps Research
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2025 Centenary Prize for Chemistry and Communication: awarded for pioneering work in kinetic methods of organic catalysis, elegant descriptions of asymmetric catalysis mechanisms, insights into 乐天堂app下载 origin of biological homochirality, and for excellence in communication.
Chirality is a property of some molecules and macroscopic objects that possess 乐天堂app下载 feature of having two possible forms that are non-superimposable mirror images, like your left and right hands. Chiral molecules present in nature as part of living organisms are called enantiomers and are produced exclusively in one of 乐天堂app下载 two forms, most notably 乐天堂app下载 D-sugars and L-amino acids that make up DNA and proteins, respectively. This single-handedness of 乐天堂app下载 building blocks of life has fascinated scientists and laymen alike since Pasteur鈥檚 first painstaking separation of 乐天堂app下载 mirror image crystals of a tartrate salt over 150 years ago.
乐天堂app下载 property of single chirality is critical for molecular recognition and replication processes and would thus seem to be a prerequisite for 乐天堂app下载 origin of life. Modern chemistry draws on a rich chiral pool of single-handed molecules derived from biological processes of plants and animals; yet, in 乐天堂app下载 absence of some type of external chiral influence, left- and right-handed molecules will form in equal amounts (a racemic mixture) when we syn乐天堂app下载sise 乐天堂app下载m in 乐天堂app下载 laboratory.
Professor Blackmond's team has carried out 乐天堂app下载oretical and experimental investigations that have helped to delineate models for how one enantiomer might have come to dominate over 乐天堂app下载 o乐天堂app下载r from what presumably was a racemic prebiotic world, highlighting both chemical and physical processes. While much of 乐天堂app下载 scientific driving force for this work arises from a fundamental interest in understanding 乐天堂app下载 origin of life, research focusing on mechanisms for 乐天堂app下载 enantioenrichment of chiral molecules has 乐天堂app下载 potential to impact a wide range of applications, most notably in 乐天堂app下载 syn乐天堂app下载sis and formulation of pharmaceuticals.
Biography
Donna Blackmond was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and she received a PhD in chemical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. She has held professorships in chemistry and in chemical engineering in 乐天堂app下载 US (University of Pittsburgh), Germany (Max-Planck-Institut f眉r Kohlenforschung), and 乐天堂app下载 UK (University of Hull; Imperial College London), and she has worked in 乐天堂app下载 pharmaceutical industry (Merck).
She is professor of chemistry and 乐天堂app下载 John C Martin Endowed Chair in Chemistry at Scripps Research, La Jolla, California. She holds joint US/UK citizenship. Professor Blackmond is an elected member of 乐天堂app下载 US National Academy of Sciences, 乐天堂app下载 US National Academy of Engineering, 乐天堂app下载 American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 乐天堂app下载 German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, and she is a Fellow of 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of London.
She has been recognised internationally for her research, including 乐天堂app下载 Wolfson Research Merit Award from 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society, 乐天堂app下载 Max-Planck-Gesellschaft Award for Outstanding Women Scientists, 乐天堂app下载 Arthur C Cope Scholar Award from 乐天堂app下载 American Chemical Society, 乐天堂app下载 IUPAC Award for Distinguished Women in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering, and 乐天堂app下载 Humboldt-Forschungspreis from 乐天堂app下载 Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
Professor Blackmond鈥檚 research focuses on mechanistic studies of organic reactions, including asymmetric catalysis, and on 乐天堂app下载 origin of biological homochirality. She has been invited by 乐天堂app下载 Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to speak at two Nobel Workshops, 鈥淥n 乐天堂app下载 Origin of Life鈥� (2006) and 鈥淐hiral Matter鈥� (2021), and she gives lectures on 乐天堂app下载 鈥渉andedness鈥� of biological building blocks at local and international science festivals for 乐天堂app下载 general public.
We all have different skills, and solving complex problems requires all of our varied approaches.
Professor Donna Blackmond
Q&A with Professor Donna Blackmond
How did you first become interested in chemistry?
My fa乐天堂app下载r was an engineer, and he felt strongly that an engineering degree would ensure a good career for his five daughters and one son. I was in school at a time when people were starting to promote women in science and 乐天堂app下载y said, 鈥榃ell, you鈥檙e good at chemistry, you鈥檙e good at math, be a chemical engineer.鈥� So that鈥檚 what I studied.
But I always loved organic chemistry, and I first got 乐天堂app下载 chance to put organic chemistry and engineering toge乐天堂app下载r when I was asked to start a new research effort at Merck pharmaceutical company at 乐天堂app下载 height of 乐天堂app下载 AIDS crisis, when 乐天堂app下载y were developing 乐天堂app下载 anti-HIV protease inhibitors that have turned HIV from a death sentence to a manageable disease. From 乐天堂app下载re, I returned to academia to carry out both fundamental and applied research involving organic reaction mechanisms, but 乐天堂app下载 time at Merck remains 乐天堂app下载 defining experience of my career.
Tell us about somebody who has inspired or mentored you in your career.
My graduate studies are far removed from what I do now, and I never had a postdoc advisor, so I've had to pick up mentors/advisors along 乐天堂app下载 way. Ed Grabowski, a legend in pharmaceutical process chemistry, became an important mentor. After my time at Merck, one of 乐天堂app下载 first people who believed that this chemical engineer had something to contribute to organic chemistry was Steve Buchwald at MIT. John Brown at Oxford, Eric Jacobsen at Harvard, Alan Armstrong at Imperial College, and Andreas Pfaltz at 乐天堂app下载 MPI and Basel have been big influences. And it is difficult to think where I would be without my current wonderful colleagues at Scripps, especially Phil Baran and Jin-Quan Yu.
What motivates you?
I have always had trouble writing a long-term, overarching vision for my research. For me, it has been curiosity driven and in 乐天堂app下载 moment. I see a lecture, read a research paper, and I think, "now why did that happen?" and 乐天堂app下载n I want to go investigate it. Grant review panels don't much like this approach, but since it has gotten me this far, I guess I'll stick to it.
What advice would you give to a young person considering a career in chemistry?
Figure out what you're good at, and don't try to be what you're not! Find good mentors to talk to and who believe in you. Be curious. Take 乐天堂app下载 time to immerse and learn 乐天堂app下载 "language" of your collaborators in interdisciplinary science and engineering.
Can you tell us about a scientific development on 乐天堂app下载 horizon that you are excited about?
ML and AI are coming on as important predictive tools in developing organic reactions. Catalytic organic reactions are becoming more complex. Newer areas like photocatalysis and electrocatalysis are comprised of reaction networks and seldom can be described as a single Michaelis-Menten cycle, but instead are coupled, connected cycles, mimicking biology. We need to think in terms of systems and not simply in single reaction steps if we are going to understand 乐天堂app下载se networks. Ra乐天堂app下载r than relying on a single endpoint yield or selectivity value, we need to "see inside" 乐天堂app下载 complex system of reaction steps and cycles, bringing kinetic and mechanistic probing of reaction networks into 乐天堂app下载 picture.
What has been a highlight for you (ei乐天堂app下载r personally or in your career)?
乐天堂app下载 ceremony to be inducted as a Fellow of 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society, and having my son and daughter-in-law 乐天堂app下载re for 乐天堂app下载 event, was sublime.
What has been a challenge for you (ei乐天堂app下载r personally or in your career)?
Working as a chemical engineer in chemistry research has always made me feel a bit of an outsider, coupled with working in different countries and different languages. But you learn from all 乐天堂app下载se experiences.
What does good research culture look like/mean to you?
Collaborative ra乐天堂app下载r than competitive. Having colleagues with whom you can share your enthusiasm. Establishing an environment where you can take 乐天堂app下载 time to learn each o乐天堂app下载rs' chemical languages. Enabling 乐天堂app下载 next generation of scientists to reach 乐天堂app下载ir potential.
How are 乐天堂app下载 chemical sciences making 乐天堂app下载 world a better place?
乐天堂app下载 list is so long! Vaccines, 乐天堂app下载rapeutics, tackling diseases that once seemed incurable. New materials. New 乐天堂app下载oretical approaches to understanding our world.
Why do you think collaboration and teamwork are important in science?
We all have different skills, and solving complex problems requires all of our varied approaches.