Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award: Seth M. Cohen

Citation: For advancements in the postsynthetic modification of metal-organic frameworks, and for insights into the identification of innovative pharmacophores for the development of metalloprotein ­inhibitors.

Current position: professor of chemistry and biochemistry, University of California, San Diego

Education: B.S., chemistry, B.A., political science, Stanford University; Ph.D., inorganic chemistry, University of California, Berkeley

Cohen’s scientific role model:“My early scientific role models were the great scientific ‘communicators’ of the 1980s—Carl Sagan, David Attenborough, and also my parents, who encouraged me to do well in school and pursue a career in science. … Later in my life … my Ph.D. (Kenneth Raymond) and postdoctoral (Stephen Lippard) advisers were my role models—from each of them I learned and adopted certain traits to become the best researcher, educator, and mentor I can be.”

What his colleagues say: “The broad impact of professor Cohen’s work in two diverse areas of organic chemistry is due to his ability to recognize important problems in contemporary chemistry and apply elegant and generalizable synthetic strategies to address them.”—Jonathan L. Sessler, University of Texas, Austin