Peter Dervan
Encyclopedia
Peter B. Dervan is the Bren Professor of Chemistry
at California Institute of Technology
. The primary focus of his research is the development and study of small organic molecules that can sequence-specifically recognize DNA
, a field in which he is an internationally recognized authority. He is married to fellow Caltech chemist Jacqueline Barton
.
in 1967. He began graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin then moved on to complete his graduate studies at Yale University
, in the laboratory of Jerome Berson. He received his Ph.D.
from Yale
in 1972, and performed post-doctoral research at Stanford
through 1973, as an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow.
, Dervan became an assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Caltech
. He received tenure in 1979 and is currently the Bren Professor of Chemistry
. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences
. He served as Chair of Caltech's Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. He is a founding member of the Scientific Advisory Board for Gilead Sciences
. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Beckman Coulter
. He serves on the editorial advisory board for the journals Bioorganic Chemistry
, Bioconjugate Chemistry, Tetrahedron, Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry
, Current Opinion in Drug Discovery and Development, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
, and ACS Chemical Biology
. He was recently elected as an Alumni Fellow to the Yale Corporation
, and was awarded the prestigious National Medal of Science
in 2006 for his "fundamental research contributions" in organic chemistry.
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
at California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
. The primary focus of his research is the development and study of small organic molecules that can sequence-specifically recognize DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
, a field in which he is an internationally recognized authority. He is married to fellow Caltech chemist Jacqueline Barton
Jacqueline Barton
Jacqueline K. Barton is an American chemist. She is the Arthur and Marian Hanisch Memorial professor of Chemistry at California Institute of Technology...
.
Education
Dervan received his B.S. from Boston CollegeBoston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
in 1967. He began graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin then moved on to complete his graduate studies at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, in the laboratory of Jerome Berson. He received his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
in 1972, and performed post-doctoral research at Stanford
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
through 1973, as an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow.
Career
From StanfordStanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, Dervan became an assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Caltech
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
. He received tenure in 1979 and is currently the Bren Professor of Chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
. He served as Chair of Caltech's Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. He is a founding member of the Scientific Advisory Board for Gilead Sciences
Gilead Sciences
Gilead Sciences is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes therapeutics. For many years since the company was founded, the company concentrated primarily on antiviral drugs to treat patients infected with HIV, hepatitis B or influenza. In 2006, Gilead acquired two...
. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Beckman Coulter
Beckman Coulter
Beckman Coulter Inc., is a company that makes biomedical laboratory instruments. Founded by Caltech professor Arnold O. Beckman in 1935 as National Technical Laboratories to commercialize a pH meter that he had invented, the company eventually grew to employ over 10,000 people, with $2.4 billion in...
. He serves on the editorial advisory board for the journals Bioorganic Chemistry
Bioorganic chemistry
Bioorganic chemistry is a rapidly growing scientific discipline that combines organic chemistry and biochemistry. While biochemistry aims at understanding biological processes using chemistry, bioorganic chemistry attempts to expand organic-chemical researches toward biology...
, Bioconjugate Chemistry, Tetrahedron, Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry
Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry
Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry is a scientific journal focusing on the results of research on the molecular structure of biological organisms and the interaction of interaction of biological targets with chemical agents. It is published by Elsevier, which also publishes the related journal...
, Current Opinion in Drug Discovery and Development, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, usually referred to as PNAS, is the official journal of the United States National Academy of Sciences...
, and ACS Chemical Biology
ACS Chemical Biology
ACS Chemical Biology is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published since 2006 by the American Chemical Society. The journal covers research at the interface between chemistry and biology spanning all aspects of chemical biology...
. He was recently elected as an Alumni Fellow to the Yale Corporation
Yale Corporation
The Yale Corporation, sometimes, and more formally, known as The President and Fellows of Yale College, is the governing body of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.The Corporation comprises 19 members:...
, and was awarded the prestigious National Medal of Science
National Medal of Science
The National Medal of Science is an honor bestowed by the President of the United States to individuals in science and engineering who have made important contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of behavioral and social sciences, biology, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and...
in 2006 for his "fundamental research contributions" in organic chemistry.