"An individual of multifaceted talents and great achievements, Ron Breslow combines a brilliance in research with a motivation to tell the story of chemical achievement to all who will listen," said Arnold Thackray, President. "He is the central architect of two major areas of research: biomimetic systems and nonbenzenoid aromatic chemistry. His work offers promise of important breakthroughs in the fight against cancer, by modulating gene transcription in cancer cells."
Breslow is celebrating his fiftieth anniversary on the faculty of Columbia University, which he joined after undergraduate and graduate training at Harvard. He played a key role in the decision to merge Barnard College with Columbia, and has been active on many levels in the National Academy of Sciences and the American Chemical Society (ACS President 1996; Priestley Medalist 1999). In addition to numerous honors and awards, he also holds the National Medal of Science. "Ronald Breslow is one of the most brilliant chemists in the world," said Madeleine Jacobs, Executive Director and CEO, American Chemical Society, "what really amazes Ron's colleagues and makes him so worthy of the Othmer Gold Medal is the astonishing range of important chemical fields that he's pioneered and continues to tackle."
Ron Breslow is the author of about 400 publications, including a widely acclaimed 1996 book "Chemistry Today and Tomorrow: The Central, Useful, and Creative Science." He holds the National Medal of Science, and has been named one of the top 75 contributors to the chemical enterprise in the past 75 years. He is an accomplished pianist whose public repertoire extends from popular songs to improvisational jazz. Colleagues continue to marvel at the breadth and depth of his intellect, and of his passion and enthusiasm for chemistry. "He has an uncommon capacity for engaging all sorts of people in conversation; he is not only a gifted scientist but a great spokesperson for the public image and relevance of chemistry," says CHF Board member Paul Anderson, himself a Perkin and Priestley Medalist.
About the Chemical Heritage Foundation
The Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) serves the community of the chemical and molecular sciences, and the wider public, by treasuring the past, educating the present, and inspiring the future. CHF maintains a world-class collection of materials that document the history and heritage of the chemical and molecular sciences, technologies, and industries; encourages research in CHF collections; carries out a program of outreach and interpretation in order to advance an understanding of the role of the chemical and molecular sciences, technologies, and industries in shaping society.