Carolyn Bertozzi

Carolyn Bertozzi, born on October tenth, nineteen sixty-six, is a distinguished American chemist and biochemist whose groundbreaking contributions have significantly advanced the fields of chemistry and biology. She is renowned for coining the term 'bioorthogonal chemistry,' which refers to chemical reactions that can occur within living systems without interfering with native biochemical processes. Her innovative research focuses on the synthesis of chemical tools aimed at studying cell surface sugars, known as glycans, and their implications in diseases such as cancer, inflammation, and viral infections, including COVID-19.

Currently, Bertozzi holds the prestigious Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professorship at Stanford University in the School of Humanities and Sciences. In addition to her academic role, she serves as an Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and has previously directed the Molecular Foundry, a leading nanoscience research center at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Since two thousand twenty-four, she has also been a member of the scientific advisory board for the Arc Institute.

Throughout her illustrious career, Bertozzi has received numerous accolades, including the MacArthur 'genius' award at the age of thirty-three and the Lemelson–MIT Prize faculty award in two thousand ten, making her the first woman to achieve this honor. She is a respected member of several prestigious organizations, including the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine, and the National Academy of Inventors. In two thousand fourteen, she was appointed to lead ACS Central Science, the American Chemical Society's inaugural peer-reviewed open access journal, which provides free access to all its content.

In recognition of her exceptional work, Bertozzi was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in two thousand twenty-two, sharing this honor with Morten P. Meldal and Karl Barry Sharpless for their pioneering development of click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry. Her contributions continue to inspire and shape the future of scientific research.