MacKerell selected “2006 Maryland Chemist of the Year”

Alexander D. MacKerell, Jr., PhD, Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Director of the Computer-Aided Drug Design Center, has been named “2006 Maryland Chemist of the Year” by the American Chemical Society’s Maryland Section.

By Randy Fillmore
December 15, 2006

Alexander D. MacKerell, Jr., PhD, Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Director of the Computer-Aided Drug Design Center (CADD), has been named “2006 Maryland Chemist of the Year” by the American Chemical Society’s Maryland Section.

“The award committee looks at the entirety of a candidate’s career to date,” said Sandra Young, PhD, 2006 chair of the ACS Maryland section. “The award candidates all had distinguished careers. That Dr. MacKerell was selected speaks volumes about how much he is respected by the chemist community. The quality and uniqueness of his work, and that of his research team, have made a significant impact in the scientific community.”

MacKerell received his PhD from Rutgers University and has been at the School of Pharmacy since 1992 following post-doctoral work at Harvard University. His research interests include computational biochemistry with an interest in how biochemistry can be used to study molecules of interest for carrying out computer-aided drug design.

In the CADD, MacKerell and associates are interested in the rapid identification of novel therapeutic agents for specific disease states, a potential made available by the mapping of the human genome, advances in cell and molecular biology and the identification of biological targets. The MacKerell research group identifies compounds with desired biological activity and works to optimize the structure of those compounds to enhance their activity.

Dr. MacKerell was honored not only for his career achievements but also for being an interactive and inspiring teacher.

“Dr. MacKerell is a truly unique individual, outstanding researcher and colleague, respected educator and fully deserving of the award,” said Andrew Coop, PhD, associate professor and vice chair of academic affairs in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Coop nominated MacKerell for the award, which he received December 13 at the ACS Maryland Section meeting awards dinner.