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Stuart L. Schreiber, Morris Loeb Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Emeritus will be a co-recipient of the 2025 Robert A. Welch Award in Chemistry for his research in the field of chemical biology. Peter G. Schultz, Skaggs Presidential Chair and professor of chemistry at Scripps Research, will also receive the award this year. The prestigious award honors the value of chemical research contributions and promote basic chemical research.
“These two remarkable scientists have significantly advanced our ability to leverage chemical tools to affect biological systems, thus improving both health outcomes and materials science,” said Fred Brazelton, chair and director of the Welch Foundation. “With their broad and deep contributions to scientific knowledge and education of new generations of researchers, both are towering figures in chemistry and stellar recipients of the Welch Award.”
Recognized as a foundational figure in chemical biology, Schreiber is known for his use of small molecules to explore biology and medicine, and for his role in the development of the field of chemical biology. His research illustrated that many small molecules are bifunctional and act by inducing proximity of signaling proteins, which he coined “molecular glues’. The discovery of molecular glues and development of chemical inducers of proximity led conceptually to the targeted degradation of proteins by small-molecule “PROTACs.” These efforts accelerated the development of many additional widely used drugs and more generally the field of chemical biology. His development of diversity-oriented synthesis, and integration of human biology and chemistry to guide the development of safe and effective therapeutics, among others, have dramatically advanced chemical biology and contributed to it becoming a vibrant area of life science research.
“These two Welch Awardees have pursued distinct yet complementary paths in their research,” said Catherine J. Murphy, chair of The Welch Foundation Scientific Advisory Board. “Together, Dr. Schreiber’s and Dr. Schultz’s contributions have revolutionized the field and launched the modern era of chemical biology. We see their impact in our now much deeper understanding of how biological systems function and how we can influence those systems, leading to new drugs to treat disease and new materials that benefit society.”
Schreiber was a professor at Yale University from 1981 to 1988 and became a member of Harvard’s Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology in 1988. He received his B.A. in chemistry from the University of Virginia and his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Harvard University. Schreiber is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator Emeritus, and an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is the recipient of numerous awards including the Wolf Prize in Chemistry.
