Kathlyn Ann Parker is a chemist known for her work on synthesis of compounds, especially organic compounds with biological roles. She is an elected fellow of the American Chemical Society and a recipient of the

Garvan–Olin Medal The Francis P. Garvan–John M. Olin Medal is an annual award that recognizes distinguished scientific accomplishment, leadership and service to chemistry by women chemists. The Award is offered by the American Chemical Society (ACS), and consist ...

in chemistry.

Education and career

Parker graduated from Senn High School in Chicago. She went on to receive a B.A. from Northwestern University (1966). While in college she won an award from the student chapter of the American Institute of Chemists for her essay "Chemistry as a Profession" making her the first woman to receive this award. She earned her Ph.D. from

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

in 1970. Following her Ph.D. she was a postdoctoral research at Columbia University. From 1973 until 2001 Parker was in the chemistry department at

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

. In 2001 she moved to Stony Brook University, and in 2017 she was named a distinguished professor at

Stony Brook University Stony Brook University (SBU), officially the State University of New York at Stony Brook, is a public research university in Stony Brook, New York. Along with the University at Buffalo, it is one of the State University of New York system's ...

Research

Parker is known for her work in the field of

organic synthesis Organic synthesis is a special branch of chemical synthesis and is concerned with the intentional construction of organic compounds. Organic molecules are often more complex than inorganic compounds, and their synthesis has developed into one o ...

, where she works on the construction of natural products through methods that allow for efficient synthesis of known organic compounds.

Selected publications

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Awards and honors

In 1987 Parker was a fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. In 2009 the Parker was elected a fellow of the American Chemical Society and she received the Francis P. Garvan-John M. Olin Medal from the American Chemical Society. In 2017 she received the Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award in recognition of her work synthesizing organic compounds.

References

Living people Northwestern University alumni Stanford University alumni Stony Brook University faculty Women chemists Organic chemists Fellows of the American Chemical Society Year of birth missing (living people) American women chemists Chemists from Illinois {{Chemist-stub