DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY

Richard B. Silverman

Richard B. Silverman is the inaugural Patrick G. Ryan/Aon Professor at Northwestern University. He is also Professor of Chemistry, Molecular Biosciences (Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences), and Pharmacology (Feinberg School of Medicine). He received his B.S. in Chemistry from Pennsylvania State University and his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Harvard University, followed by postdoctoral training in enzymology at Brandeis University. After his first semester at Harvard, he was drafted into the U.S. Army, where he served for two years before returning to graduate study. He joined Northwestern in 1976. Silverman is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Inventors and was elected to the American Chemical Society Medicinal Chemistry Hall of Fame. He has authored or co-authored 398 research publications, holds 130 U.S. and foreign patents, and has written five books, including The Organic Chemistry of Drug Design and Drug Action (3rd edition). He is the inventor of Lyrica™, a blockbuster drug marketed by Pfizer for fibromyalgia, neuropathic pain, and epilepsy.

Silverman Reflects on 50 years at NU Chemistry

Silverman Speaks on Applying to the Department

Brian M. Hoffman

Brian Hoffman is the Charles E. and Emma H. Morrison Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Molecular Biosciences at Northwestern University. He earned his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry and completed postdoctoral training in biochemistry, establishing a career spanning physical, bioinorganic, and mechanistic chemistry. His research integrates these fields through bioinorganic chemistry, with major contributions to the development of electron–nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) spectroscopy as a precise tool for probing metalloenzyme active sites. His work has advanced understanding of catalytic intermediates in dioxygen activation (including heme enzymes such as P450 and heme oxygenase) and nitrogen fixation in nitrogenase. He has also made key contributions to inter-protein electron transfer, highlighting the role of conformational dynamics at protein–protein interfaces, as well as work in molecular metals and porphyrazine macrocycles for materials and biomedical applications. Hoffman is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2002).

Hoffman Reflects on 50 years at NU Chemistry

Hoffman shares his Journey to NU Chemistry

George C. Schatz

George C. Schatz is the Charles E. and Emma H. Morrison Professor of Chemistry at Northwestern University. He received his undergraduate degree in Chemistry from Clarkson University and his Ph.D. from Caltech, followed by postdoctoral research at MIT. He joined Northwestern in 1976. Schatz is a theoretical chemist whose research focuses on the optical, structural, and thermal properties of nanomaterials, including plasmonic nanoparticles, plasmonic metamaterials, DNA- and peptide-based nanostructures, and carbon-based materials. His work also spans theoretical and computational studies of dynamical processes, including gas-phase and gas–surface reactions, energy transfer, transport phenomena, and photochemistry. He has authored four books and more than 1000 research papers. Schatz is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry, the American Chemical Society, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and has received numerous honors including the Debye and Langmuir Awards of the ACS and the Bourke and Boys–Rahman Award of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Schatz Reflects on His Time at NU Chemistry

Schatz Shares His Journey to NU Chemistry

Tobin J. Marks

Tobin J. Marks is the Ipatieff Professor of Catalytic Chemistry at Northwestern University and holds additional appointments in Materials Science and Engineering, Applied Physics, and Chemical and Biological Engineering. He received his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Maryland and his Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from MIT. Marks is a leading figure in catalysis, organometallic chemistry, and materials chemistry, with research spanning catalytic mechanisms, electronic and energy materials, and chemical transformations relevant to sustainability and technology. He has authored more than 1,375 peer-reviewed publications and holds 275 U.S. patents. His honors include the U.S. National Medal of Science, ACS Priestley Medal, Dreyfus Prize in the Chemical Sciences, MRS Von Hippel Award, NAS Award in Chemical Sciences, Spanish Príncipe de Asturias Prize, and numerous other international awards (over 175 in total). He is a member of multiple national and international academies of science and engineering, including the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and several European and international academies. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, Materials Research Society, and American Chemical Society, and holds multiple honorary doctorates.