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Mohammad (Mo) Movassaghi’s work in natural product synthesis has garnered much attention, but it’s his passion for teaching that makes this young scientist really stand out.
An associate professor of chemistry at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Movassaghi is developing new synthetic methods and researching the total synthesis of biologically active compounds, especially alkaloids.
“Movassaghi’s very recent discovery of a direct synthesis of pyridine derivatives and his earlier work on the direct synthesis of pyrimidine derivatives provide practical solutions to important problems in pharmaceutical synthesis,” says Eric N. Jacobsen, Sheldon Emery Professor of Chemistry at Harvard University. “His syntheses of members of the hexahydropyrroloindole, galbulimina, and myrmicarin alkaloid classes are breathtakingly efficient and elegant.”
His studies “are characterized by a striking degree of imagination and inventiveness with regard to synthetic approach and the novelty of the chemistry employed in their execution,” adds Andrew G. Myers, chair and a professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Harvard.
Movassaghi continues to add to his list of publications. Last year, he and his group reported new methodologies for organic synthesis in addition to the first total syntheses of the complex galbulimima alkaloid (–)-himandrine and the dimeric diketopiperazine (+)-11,11´-dideoxyverticillin A.
Movassaghi earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1995, and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Harvard in 2001. He completed a postdoc at Harvard in 2003 and then joined the faculty at MIT as an assistant professor. He was promoted to associate professor in 2008.
In just 15 years, Movassaghi has received more than two dozen awards, including a Beckman Young Investigator Award in 2006, the U.S. National Committee/IUPAC Young Observer Fellowship Award in 2007, a Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award in 2008, and an American Chemical Society Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award in 2009.
Beyond research, Movassaghi’s passion lies in teaching. He began showing potential as a teacher early on. During his undergraduate years at UC Berkeley, Movassaghi received several outstanding graduate student teaching awards, including the Bruce H. Mahan Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award. He was also a commencement speaker during graduation from UC Berkeley’s College of Chemistry.
At Harvard, Movassaghi continued earning recognition as a teacher. In 1999, he received the university’s Certificate of Distinction in Teaching.
His passion for helping others may explain why Movassaghi does not like to bask in the limelight. “This award recognizes the combined efforts of my coworkers and not just me alone,” he says. “For me, the most important responsibility is making sure that my coworkers succeed in their own professional goals. Seeing them advance in their chosen profession is priceless.”
When he’s not at work, Movassaghi tries to squeeze in a few sets of tennis. He has fun with his research group, too. Last summer, he took his students and postdocs out for an afternoon of kayaking in Ipswich Bay, just north of Boston.
Movassaghi will present the award address before the Division of Organic Chemistry.
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