| 1 | Name: | Dr. Stephen J. Benkovic | |
| Institution: | Pennsylvania State University | ||
| Year Elected: | 2002 | ||
| Class: | 1. Mathematical and Physical Sciences | ||
| Subdivision: | 102. Chemistry and Chemical Biochemistry | ||
| Residency: | Resident | ||
| Living? : | Living | ||
| Birth Date: | 1938 | ||
Stephen J. Benkovic received an A.B. in English literature and a B.S. in chemistry from Lehigh University in 1960 and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry with a minor in physical chemistry and biochemistry from Cornell University in 1963. He joined the faculty of Pennsylvania State University in 1965, has been Evan Pugh Professor since 1977 and has held the Eberly Chair in Chemistry since 1986. Dr. Benkovic's early immersion in the classics and in English literature has facilitated his coherent presentation of complicated processes at the chemistry/biology interface. In the laboratory, he uses a dazzling combination of methodologies to define the pathways by which separate and combined protein systems carry out the chemical conversions crucial to life processes, including DNA polymerization and replication. His studies of enzyme mechanisms led to inhibitor design and chemotherapeutic agents; those on catalytic antibodies clarify the connection between chemistry and immunology. His love of literature has been transmuted to service on editorial boards of sixteen scientific journals. He was the recipient of the Pfizer Award in Enzyme Chemistry from Pennsylvania State University in 1977, the Gowland Hopkins Award in 1986, the Repligen Award in 1989, the Alfred R. Bader Award of the American Chemical Society in 1995, the Christian B. Anfinsin Award in 2000, the National Medal of Science in 2010, and the NAS Award in Chemical Sciences in 2011. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, the American Chemical Society, and the Royal Society. He was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society in 2002. | |||