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The following vignettes highlight the recipients of the 2025 Arthur C. Cope Award and Arthur C. Cope Scholar Awards, presented by the American Chemical Society in recognition of excellence in organic chemistry. The quotes were provided as written statements and have been edited for length and clarity.
These award recipients will be honored during a dedicated symposium at the ACS Fall 2025 meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 19.
Sponsor: Endowed fund established by Arthur C. Cope
Citation: For innovative synthetic and design concepts in organic supramolecular and materials systems affecting the fields of chemical sensors, catalysis, self-assembly, organic electronics, and energy conversion
Current position: John D. MacArthur Professor of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Education: BS, chemistry, Montana State University; PhD, chemistry, California Institute of Technology
Swager’s message to his younger self: “I wouldn’t send a message back in time, because it would change the space-time continuum. But in a moment of weakness, perhaps I would tell young Tim to put all of his money into Apple Computer stock in the 1980s. This way I could have a self-funded research program.”
What Swager’s colleagues say: “Tim is a world-leading chemist whose innovations have profound conceptual, technological, and societal implications. He has built bridges and he has crossed them to explore the newfound territories.”—Peter H. Seeberger, Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces
Sponsor: Endowed fund established by Arthur C. Cope
Citation: For developing new bioconjugation reactions that enable better ways to couple biomolecules in cells and provide insights into the origins of life
Current position: Professor of chemistry and biochemistry and the Murray Goodman Endowed Chair in Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego
Education: BS, chemistry and biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; PhD, chemistry, Stanford University
Devaraj on his favorite part of his job: “Being able to work with a talented team of people on interdisciplinary projects that no single individual could complete on their own. In our science, I am constantly reminded that the whole really is greater than the sum of its parts.”
What Devaraj’s colleagues say: “Neal is a highly creative synthetic chemist who is fearlessly pursuing some of the most important and challenging scientific problems of our time.”—Sidney M. Hecht, Arizona State University
Citation: For the development of novel metal-catalyzed reactions for directed olefin functionalization that advance the efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability of chemical synthesis
Current position: Professor of chemistry and dean of graduate and postdoctoral studies, Scripps Research
Education: BS, chemistry, economics, mathematics, and statistics, University of Michigan; PhD, chemistry, Scripps Research; DPhil, biochemistry, University of Oxford
Engle on what inspired him to become a scientist: “The experience that kick-started my interest in chemistry was joining a Science Olympiad team. We were coached by Gus Lukow and Bob Myers during my senior year at West Ottawa High School. In the Science Olympiad, I learned to grapple with uncertainty and work with a team to chart a path through the unknown.”
What Engle’s colleagues say: “Keary is a terrific experimentalist, gifted and polished scholar, captivating lecturer, and inspiring mentor. He has worked only 9 years as an independent scientist, and his name is already synonymous with the field of catalytic alkene functionalization, where he continues to be a major creative driving force.”—Dale L. Boger, Scripps Research
Citation: For developing new strategies and tactics in organic synthesis to enable the total synthesis of architecturally complex natural products and the upgrading of their intrinsic bioactivities
Current position: Professor of pharmaceutical sciences, University of Tokyo
Education: BS, chemistry, MS, chemistry, and PhD, chemistry, University of Tokyo
Inoue on his most memorable project: “It was the total synthesis of ryanodine. We designed a new strategy for assembling this extremely complex structure and tested so many ideas, almost all of which failed miserably. Over 8 years, my students and I learned what we can and cannot do with current synthetic methods the hard way. At the same time, this was one of the most rewarding projects in my laboratory, as many current projects were developed from it.”
What Inoue’s colleagues say: “Masa has developed new strategies and tactics in organic synthesis and has achieved many first total syntheses of architecturally complex natural products with important and diverse biological activities. His accomplishments have delivered inspiration and excitement for many chemists around the world.”—John L. Wood, Baylor University
Citation: For developing new catalytic reactions through detailed mechanistic insight and for expanding the paradigms of organometallic and synthetic chemistry in powerful ways
Current position: Professor of chemistry, University of California, Irvine
Education: BSc, chemistry, Acadia University; PhD, organic chemistry, Boston College
Jarvo shares her favorite quote: “As a research worker, the unforgotten moments of my life are those rare ones which come after years of plodding work, when the veil over nature’s secret seems suddenly to lift and when what was dark and chaotic appears in a clear and beautiful light and pattern.”—Gerty Cori, 1947 Nobel laureate in medicine
What Jarvo’s colleagues say: “Liz’s science consistently delivers new chemistry and mechanistic lessons, reflecting her creative and fiercely independent mind. Liz is incredibly substantive but also understated. Her impact shines through on its own.”—Scott J. Miller, Yale University
Citation: For the invention and translation of novel catalytic methods to drug discovery using high-throughput experimentation
Current position: Distinguished scientist, Merck & Co.
Education: BS, chemistry, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology; PhD, inorganic chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Krska on his hopes for the future: “I have seen firsthand the power of modern technologies such as high-throughput experimentation to accelerate solutions to complex chemistry challenges across diverse applications. The impact of these data-rich approaches will only be amplified by the burgeoning interest in data science techniques such as machine learning. My ambition is to help democratize these modern approaches to chemistry such that they become part of the standard repertoire of synthetic chemists across academia and industry.”
What Krska’s colleagues say: “Shane has an exemplary record of championing innovation in organic chemistry as the foundation of modern drug discovery and development in both academia and industry. He has accomplished this through both cutting-edge research at Merck and through extensive academic collaboration.”—Robert M. Garbaccio, Merck & Co.
Citation: For challenging the dogmatic dichotomy between phosphorus and sulfur ylide reactivity in combination with carbonyls by reporting the first general carbonyl olefination reaction using sulfur-based reagents
Current position: Professor of organic synthesis, University of Vienna
Education: Diploma, chemistry, University of Lisbon; MSc, Chemistry, École Polytechnique in Palaiseau, France; PhD, organic chemistry, Université catholique de Louvain
Maulide on the most rewarding part of his job: “It is working with generations of talented, ambitious, and dynamic young scientists and nurturing them. Seeing them evolve through the years and becoming top-notch chemists is priceless.”
What Maulide’s colleagues say: “Nuno is not a trend follower but rather thinks outside the box to create methods and tools that are novel and likely would not exist without his creative contributions. He is also an entrepreneur, masterful educator, and inspiring voice to the community for science communication.”—Phil S. Baran, Scripps Research
Citation: For contributions to the development of transition metal–catalyzed reactions and to the delineation of their reaction mechanisms
Current position: Rhodes-Thompson Professor of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania
Education: BS, chemistry, University of California San Diego; PhD, organometallic chemistry, University of California, Berkeley
Walsh on his scientific heroes: “I have many, but the first one was Charlie Perrin at the University of California San Diego. Without his amazing teaching in organic chemistry, where he really taught us to think, I probably would not have been positioned to go to graduate school and ultimately pursue a career path in academics.”
What Walsh’s colleagues say: “Pat has made numerous important contributions in diverse areas of organometallic and organic chemistry, in particular in regio- and stereoselectivity transformations. The broad impact of his science has elevated him to a world leader in catalysis.”—Daniel Mindiola, University of Pennsylvania
Citation: For outstanding achievements in the development of catalytic methods for selective carbon-carbon bond formation
Current position: Professor of chemistry and biochemistry, University of Delaware
Education: AB, chemistry, Harvard University; PhD, organic chemistry, University of California, Irvine
Watson on her scientific hero: “Bob Grubbs was at my first scientific conference: the International Symposium on Olefin Metathesis and Related Chemistry. He was the only ‘grown-up’ sitting in the balcony with the students, and nearly every talk used his catalysts. Each speaker would defer to Bob when asked about their catalytic reactions, and every time he encouraged them to answer, saying ‘It’s your chemistry.’ I was amazed that a scientist could both change the world and be so humble.”
What Watson’s colleagues say: “Mary’s innovative and creative science has influenced not only other academic laboratories but also pharmaceutical companies. She solves important problems, and her work is often a jumping-off point for others’ research.”—Donna M. Huryn, University of Pennsylvania
Citation: For original contributions in chemical biology revealing how posttranslational chemical modifications of proteins affect biological function and response to therapeutics
Current position: Professor of chemistry and chemical biology, Harvard University
Education: BA, chemistry, Wellesley College; PhD, chemistry, Yale University
Woo on what inspired her to become a scientist: “I wanted to travel the world on a stipend. I lucked into summer research opportunities that would enable me to do that as an undergraduate. Afterwards, I was hooked. I love science because it brings people together across cultures to solve important problems.”
What Woo’s colleagues say: “Christina is developing innovative experimental approaches that reveal how chemical modifications of proteins impact their biological functions and response to therapeutics. In doing so, she has revealed new roles for poorly understood modifications and transformed our understanding of how clinically important drugs work.”—Theodore Betley, Harvard University
Citation: For the development of new classes of amphoteric molecules and for employing them to solve some long-standing chemistry problems
Current position: Professor of chemistry, University of Toronto
Education: BSc, chemistry, Moscow State University; PhD, organic chemistry, University of Southern California
Yudin on the most rewarding part of his job: “It is witnessing the incoming students develop scientific acumen and strong communication skills. Seeing this evolution gives me confidence that the relentless pursuit to tackle difficult problems will go on.”
What Yudin’s colleagues say: “Andrei is well known for the development of amphoteric reactivity as the guiding principle for designing new chemical transformations. What was initially curiosity-driven research has turned into a gold mine of new reactivity, with the concept of forced orthogonality enabling him to capture entirely new classes of reactive chemical intermediates.”—Mark Lautens, University of Toronto
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