Carl Djerassi#
| Sadly, this member passed away. | |
| Membership Number: | 2220 |
| Membership type: | FOREIGN |
| Section: | CHEMICAL SCIENCES |
| Elected: | 2003 |
| Main Country of Residence: | UNITED STATES |
Carl Djerassi passed away January 30, 2015.
Positions Held
- 2002 Prof. Emeritus
- 1959 - 2002 Professor of chemistry, Stanford University
- 1957 - 1972 various posts at Syntex (President of Syntex Research (1968-1972)
- 1968 - Cofounder of Zoecon Corporation, chief executive officer until 1983, chairman of the board until 1988
- 1952 - 1959 Professor of chemistry, Wayne State University
- 1949 Associate director of chemical research, Syntex, S.A., Mexico City
- Research chemist with CIBA Pharmaceutical Co. in Summit, New Jersey
Fields of Scholarship
- Chemistry of natural products (steroids, alkaloids, antibiotics, lipids, and terpenoids)
- Applications of physical measurements (notably optical rotatory dispersion, magnetic circular dichroism, and mass spectrometry)
- Computer artificial intelligence techniques to organic chemical problems
- Initial developments of oral contraceptives, antihistamines and topical corticosteroids
- Birth control
Honours and Awards
- Recipient of twenty-nine honorary doctorates:
- 2013 Sigmund Freud University Vienna
- 2013 University of Applied Arts Vienna
- 2012 Medical University Vienna
- 2012 University Vienna
- 2011 University Heidelberg
- 2010 Graz University of Technology
- 2010 Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, Argentina
- 2010 Rutgers University
- 2009 Technical University Dortmund
- 2005 Cambridge University
- 2001 Polytechnic University (NY)
- 2000 University of Aberdeen
- 1998 The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
- 1997 University of Maryland-Baltimore County
- 1995 University of Wisconsin
- 1995 University of South Carolina
- 1995 Swiss Fed. Inst. Technol.-ETH
- 1993 Adelphi University
- 1985 University of Manitoba
- 1985 University of Ghent
- 1978 University of Geneva
- 1978 Coe College
- 1977 University of Uppsala
- 1975 Columbia University
- 1974 Wayne State University
- 1972 Worcester Polytechnic Institute
- 1969 Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
- 1958 Kenyon College, 1958
- 1953 National University of Mexico
- Membership
- Member of the Mexican, Bulgarian, and Brazilian Academies of Sciences
- Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- Member of U.S. National Academy of Sciences and of its Institute of Medicine
- Member of Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
- Member of Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences
- Member of German Academy of Sciences (Leopoldina)
- Member of Academia Europeae
- Awards
- William Procter Prize for Scientific Achievement
- 2012 Maecenas Award
- 2010 Foreign member of the Royal Society
- 2008 Great Silver Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria
- 2005 Serono Prize in Literature (Rome)
- 2005 Lichtenberg Medal of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences
- 2004 American Institute of Chemists Gold Medal
- 2004 The Austrian Post Office issued a stamp in his honor
- 2003 Sigillum magnum of the University of Bologna
- 2003 Great Merit Cross of Germany
- 2003 Academia Europaea Erasmus Medal
- 2001 Author’s Prize of the German Chemical Society
- 2000 Othmer Gold Medal of the Chemical Heritage Foundation
- 1999 Austrian Cross of Honor for Science and Art
- 1998 Sigma Xi
- 1997 Willard Gibbs Medal
- 1996 Sovereign Fund Award
- 1995 Prince Mahidol Award (Thailand) in Medicine
- 1994 Thomson Gold Medal of the International Mass Spectrometry Society
- 1992 Priestley Medal
- 1992 Nevada Medal
- 1991 National Medal of Technology for his contributions in the insect control field.
- 1990 Award for the Industrial Application of Science from the National Academy of Sciences
- 1989 Gustavus John Esselen Award for Chemistry in the Public Interest
- 1988 Roussel Prize (Paris)
- 1988 Discoverer’s Award of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association
- 1983 Bard Award in Medicine and Science
- 1983 Award in the Chemistry of Contemporary Technological Problems
- 1978 First Wolf Prize in Chemistry
- 1975 Society for Chemical Industry’s Perkin Medal
- 1973 National Medal of Science
- 1973 Award for Creative Invention
- 1973 American Institute of Chemists Chemical Pioneer Award
- 1970 American Institute of Chemists Freedman Foundation Patent Award
- 1969 Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
- 1968 Honorary Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry (London) and the American Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences
- 1960 Fritzsche Award
- 1959 Baekeland Medal
- 1958 Award in Pure Chemistry by the American Chemical Society
