University of Richmond chemistry professor John Gupton named 2017 American Chemical Society Fellow

The American Chemical Society has named University of Richmond chemistry professor John Gupton to the 2017 class of ACS Fellows, which includes scientists who have demonstrated outstanding accomplishments in chemistry.

In his nearly 40-year career as an organic chemist, Gupton’s primary research interests have focused on creating and understanding the chemistry of new organic molecular building blocks called vinylogous iminium substances and using this information to generate bioactive compounds, which have applications in medicine.

One of the compounds his research group has been working on exhibits potent broad-spectrum activity as an anti-tumor agent. The full article about the research is available in Bioorganic & Medical Chemistry.

Gupton has mentored and trained more than 140 undergraduate students and published more than 100 scholarly articles, most of which have included student co-authors.

“I am deeply honored on behalf of my students to be recognized among others whose scientific research is focused on health-related problems and to educating the next generation of scientists,” said Gupton.

Gupton, who has worked at University of Richmond since 1999, has received support for his research from the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute, the ACS-Petroleum Research Fund, The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, the National Science Foundation, various chemical/pharmaceutical companies and the Floyd D. and Elisabeth S. Gottwald Endowment.

Gupton and the other 2017 fellows will be recognized at the ACS national fall meeting in August in Washington, D.C.

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The American Chemical Society is one of the largest international scientific organizations in the world and comprises nearly 200,000 members from industry, government and academics. The fellows program began in 2009 as a way to recognize and honor ACS members for outstanding achievements in and contributions to science, the profession and ACS.