In Memory of Ronald Breslow
March 14, 1931 - October 25, 2017
Dr. Breslow was a renowned organic chemist and esteemed Columbia University Professor. He earned his B.A. in chemistry, his M.A. in biochemistry, and his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Harvard University and then went on to Columbia in 1956 to begin teaching and conducting his own research. A member of the National Academy of Sciences and former President of the American Chemical Society, he received more than 75 national and international awards for his research, teaching, and professional roles. His honors for scientific research include the U.S. National Medal of Science, the Priestley Medal, the Roussel Prize, the James Flack Norris Prize, the T.W. Richards Medal, the Arthur C. Cope Award, the Kenner Award, the Nichols Medal, the Allan Day Award, and the Paracelsus Award. At Columbia, he was the Samuel Latham Mitchell Professor of Chemistry and past Chairman of the Chemistry Department. His University honors include the Alexander Hamilton Award, Mark Van Doren Award, the Pupin Medal for Service to the Nation in Science, Technology and the Great Teacher Award. He is also known for leading the charge to take Columbia Co-Ed, chairing the committee and authoring the "Breslow Report" which concluded that Columbia College could become co-educational without damage to Barnard.
He has been elected to the U. S. National Academy, the Royal Society of Britain, the Japanese Chemical Society, the Korean Chemical Society, and the Chemical Research Society of India. His research focused on the design and synthesis of new molecules, and the study of these properties. He also co-dis- covered the histone deacetylase inhibitor SAHA (Vorinostat) which is FDA-approved for the treatment of several cancers and is currently in other trials, including for the treatment of AIDS. He is considered the father of the field of Biomimetic Chemistry, coining the phrase in the mid-1950s to describe "new chemistry based on the principles used in nature." The Ronald Breslow Award for Achievement in Biomimetic Chemistry, awarded annually by the ACS, is named in his honor. The 2022 Purdue GSSPC would like to commemorate the life and passing of Ronald Breslow by holding the symposium in memoriam of Dr. Breslow, including memorial talks from three renowned alumni from his group: Dr. Alanna Schepartz, Dr. Samuel Gellman, and Dr. Jean Chmielewski.