Biochemistry: An Organic Chemistry Approach

About Michael B. Smith

Professor Michael B. Smith was born in Detroit Michigan and moved toMadison Heights Virginia in 1957. He graduated from Amherst CountyHigh School in 1964. He worked at Old Dominion Box Factory for a yearafter graduation and then started college at Ferrum Jr. College in 1965. Hegraduated in 1967 with an A.A. and began studies at Virginia Tech later thatyear graduating with a B.S. in Chemistry in 1969. He worked as a chemist atthe Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co Newport News Virginiafrom 1969 until 1972. In 1972 he began studies in graduate school at PurdueUniversity in West Lafayette Indiana working with Prof. Joseph Wolinsky.He graduated in 1977 with a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry. He took a postdoctoralposition at Arizona State University in Tempe Arizona working on the isolation of anti-canceragents from marine animals with Professor Bob Pettit. After one year he took another postdoctoralposition at MIT in Cambridge Massachusetts working on the synthesis of the anti-cancer drugbleomycin with Professor Sidney Hecht.Professor Smith began his independent career as an assistant professor in the Chemistry departmentat the University of Connecticut Storrs Connecticut in 1979. He received tenure in 1986 andspent six months on sabbatical in Belgium with Professor Leon Ghosez at the Universite Catholiquede Louvain in Louvain la Neuve Belgium. He was promoted to full professor in 1994 and spent hisentire career at UCONN. Prof. Smiths research involved the synthesis of biologically interestingmolecules. His most recent work involved the preparation of functionalized indocyanine dyes forthe detection of hypoxic cancerous tumors (breast cancer). Another project involved the synthesis ofinflammatory lipids derived from the dental pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis.He has published 26 books including Organic Chemistry: An Acid-Base Approach 2nd edition(Taylor & Francis) the 5th8th editions of Marchs Advanced Organic Chemistry (Wiley) andOrganic Synthesis 4th edition (Elsevier) winner of a 2018 Texty Award. Prof. Smith published 96peer-reviewed research papers and retired from UCONN in January of 2017.