Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award: Kathlyn A. Parker

Citation: For outstanding and creative contributions to the synthesis of structurally complex organic targets.

Current position: professor of chemistry, Stony Brook University, SUNY

Education: B.A., chemistry, Northwestern University; Ph.D., organic chemistry, Stanford University

Parker on her scientific role models and why: “I have several role models who were my mentors. Jim Marshall, my chemistry teacher in college—not only is he a superbly organized lecturer but he personally taught me how to work in the lab. W. S. Johnson, who taught high standards. Gilbert Stork, who has the ability to share his thought processes … what a teaching skill that is! And Madeleine Joullie, who is a more recent friend. Madeleine never quits, and she never loses her good humor.”

What her colleagues say: “Kathy’s contributions to organic synthesis place her among the notable players in this field. Her recent publications are strong and have attracted significant attention. She is known internationally for her compact and creative syntheses of complex natural product targets. Her approach is to invent novel—and efficient—solutions to challenging problems in synthesis. Her work epitomizes excellence in organic chemistry and is most certainly deserving of recognition with a Cope Scholar Award.”—Nicole S. Sampson, Stony Brook University