Dr. Stephen Lippard is a distinguished chemist widely recognized as one of the founding figures of bioinorganic chemistry, a field examining the interactions of metals with biological systems. He currently holds the position of Arthur Amos Noyes Emeritus Professor of Chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he has been a faculty member since returning from Columbia University in 1983. Born on October 12, 1940 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Lippard completed his undergraduate studies at Haverford College, earning a B.S. in Chemistry in 1962 before pursuing his Ph.D. at MIT, which he completed in 1965. Following his doctoral work, he established his independent research career at Columbia University, where he spent over 16 years before returning to MIT to lead groundbreaking research at the chemistry-biology interface. During his distinguished career at MIT, Lippard served as head of the chemistry department from 1995 to 2005, shaping the direction of one of the world's premier chemistry programs.
Lippard's pioneering research has fundamentally transformed our understanding of how metal ions interact with biological systems, with his most influential work elucidating the molecular mechanism of cisplatin, a platinum-based anticancer drug that remains one of the most effective treatments for various cancers. Through innovative X-ray crystallographic studies, his laboratory revealed how cisplatin binds to DNA in cancer cells, disrupting their function and ultimately leading to cell death, work that directly contributed to making cisplatin particularly effective against testicular cancer with cure rates of approximately 90 percent. Beyond cancer therapeutics, his research encompasses the structure and function of methane monooxygenase enzymes that consume greenhouse gases, advancing both environmental remediation and potential synthetic fuel development. Lippard also founded the subfield of metalloneurochemistry, investigating the role of metal ions in the brain and nervous system, while developing sophisticated optical and MRI sensors to track metal ion interactions with neurotransmitters. His extensive body of work has generated practical applications across medicine, environmental science, and energy technology, demonstrating the far-reaching impact of fundamental chemical research.
Throughout his illustrious career, Lippard has mentored an extraordinary 115 Ph.D. students and over 200 postdoctoral researchers, establishing himself as a transformative educator who has shaped generations of scientists in the chemical sciences. His prolific scholarship includes more than 900 scientific papers, multiple patents, and a seminal textbook that has defined the field of bioinorganic chemistry for students and researchers worldwide. Lippard's profound contributions have been recognized with numerous prestigious honors including the National Medal of Science, the Priestley Medal from the American Chemical Society, and election to the National Academy of Sciences, the National Institute of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Deeply committed to advancing cancer research both professionally and personally following the death of his wife Judy from endometrial cancer, he established the Judith Ann Lippard Memorial Lecture to strengthen connections between MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital in the fight against women's cancers. Currently, his laboratory continues to innovate with cutting-edge research focused on designing more effective platinum-based anti-tumor agents and exploring additional third-row transition elements like osmium and rhenium that show promise in destroying cancer stem cells responsible for tumor recurrence and metastasis.
