Professor Kyriacos Costa Nicolaou is a world-renowned organic chemist whose pioneering work in total synthesis has transformed the field of chemical synthesis. He currently holds the prestigious Harry C and Olga K Wiess Chair as Professor of Chemistry at Rice University, where he has been a faculty member since 2013. Born in Karavas, Cyprus in 1946, Nicolaou completed his early education in Cyprus before moving to England to study chemistry at the University of London, where he earned his B.Sc. with First Class Honors from Bedford College in 1969 and his Ph.D. from University College London in 1972. Following postdoctoral appointments at Columbia and Harvard Universities under Nobel laureate E.J. Corey, he joined the University of Pennsylvania faculty in 1976, later accepting joint appointments at the University of California, San Diego and The Scripps Research Institute in 1989, where he served as Chairman of the Department of Chemistry until 2013.
Nicolaou's groundbreaking contributions to the art and science of chemical synthesis have pushed the boundaries of molecular complexity, with his research group successfully synthesizing numerous complex natural products including the cancer drug Taxol, the antibiotic vancomycin, and the neurotoxin brevetoxin B. His work has been instrumental in linking chemical structure with biological function, expanding the interface between chemistry, biology and medicine in ways that have revolutionized drug discovery approaches. With over 800 scientific publications, 76 patents, and six influential books including the seminal Classics in Total Synthesis series, Nicolaou has established himself as one of the most prolific and impactful chemists of his generation. His exceptional achievements were recognized with the prestigious Wolf Prize in Chemistry in 2016, which cited his advancing the field of chemical synthesis to the extremes of molecular complexity while expanding our dominion over the interface of chemistry, biology and medicine.
Beyond his research accomplishments, Professor Nicolaou has trained hundreds of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who have gone on to distinguished careers in academia and industry, significantly expanding the global impact of his scientific philosophy and methodology. He has received numerous honors including membership in the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the Royal Society of London, along with ten honorary degrees from universities worldwide. Currently at Rice University, Nicolaou continues to focus on applying total synthesis to the development of cancer therapeutics, bridging the gap between fundamental chemical research and clinical applications. His enduring legacy lies in demonstrating that even the most complex natural molecules can be synthesized through rational design and meticulous execution, inspiring generations of chemists to pursue ambitious synthetic challenges that address pressing medical needs.
