David Christianson Receives American Chemical Society Philadelphia Section Award

David W. Christianson, Roy and Diana Vagelos Professor in Chemistry and Chemical Biology and department chair, is the 2021 recipient of the American Chemical Society (ACS) Philadelphia Section Award, given to a member who has made important contributions to the field of chemistry and thereby aided the public appreciation of the profession. He will be honored and deliver a talk during a virtual ceremony on October 14.

Christianson’s research focuses on the structure and function of metal-requiring enzymes. In recent years, his work has illuminated complex molecular mechanisms in the biosynthesis of terpenes, a family of natural products that includes menthol, cholesterol, and the anticancer drug Taxol. He has been named an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Research Fellow, a Searle Scholar, and a Camille and Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar. Christianson’s other awards include the Repligen Award in Chemistry of Biological Processes and the Pfizer Award in Enzyme Chemistry from the Biological Chemistry Division of the American Chemical Society. In 2017 he earned the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching, the highest teaching honor at the University.

The mission of the ACS is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and its people. Its vision is to improve people’s lives through the transforming power of chemistry. The Philadelphia Section is one of the largest local sections in the ACS, with over 5000 members.