Christopher D. Vanderwal

Biography

Christopher D. Vanderwal, Ph.D., is Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of California, Irvine, where he has served as Vice Chair of Chemistry for Graduate Affairs since 2023. He received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from The Scripps Research Institute in 2003 and completed a Jane Coffin Childs Postdoctoral Fellowship at Harvard University. Chris's research focuses on the chemical synthesis of complex bioactive natural products, including polyhalogenated compounds, alkaloids, and diterpenoids. The synthesis work facilitates studies of the mechanisms of action of these molecules, most of which demonstrate compelling anti-infective or anticancer activities. Another key area of focus involves the chemical interrogation of new biogenetic hypotheses, particularly in the area of complex alkaloids.

Chris is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. He served as President of the International Society of Heterocyclic Chemistry from 2020 to 2022. His work has been recognized through numerous awards including a Sloan Research Fellowship, an NSF CAREER Award, the A. R. Katritzky Junior Award in Heterocyclic Chemistry, an ACS Cope Scholar Award, and the Springer Heterocyclic Chemistry Award.

Chris has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles and has delivered more than 230 invited lectures worldwide. He has served or currently serves on the editorial boards of several journals including Organic Reactions, Organic Syntheses, Natural Product Reports, and Synthesis. His research has been continuously supported by the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation.

Education

• Ph.D. in Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, 2003
• M.Sc. in Chemistry, University of Ottawa, 1998
• B.Sc. in Biochemistry, University of Ottawa, 1995

Distinctions

• Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2020
• Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, 2021
• Wilsmore Fellow, University of Melbourne, 2023
• Springer Heterocyclic Chemistry Award, 2020
• Journal of Organic Chemistry Outstanding Author Award, 2014
• ACS Cope Scholar Award, 2017
• Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Short-term Invitational Fellowship, 2019
• Sloan Research Fellowship, 2010
• NSF CAREER Award, 2009
• A. R. Katritzky Junior Award in Heterocyclic Chemistry of the International Society of Heterocyclic Chemistry, 2017