Professor Matthias Brewer, PhD, chair of the Department of Chemistry, has been invested as the inaugural A. Paul and Arlene F. Krapcho Green and Gold Professor in Chemistry at ̽̽ (̽̽). ̽̽ leadership and special guests, including Mrs. Krapcho and other members of the Krapcho family, gathered on campus in Waterman Hall’s Memorial Lounge for the formal ceremony on April 23, 2024.
Sadly, Professor Krapcho was unable to attend due to illness, though he did view a video of the ceremony. He passed away on April 26, 2024, at the age of 92 and will be keenly missed by his family, friends, and the entire ̽̽ community.
Professor Krapcho and his wife established the Krapcho Green and Gold Professorship to honor a ̽̽ chemistry faculty member who is not only a successful teacher-scholar but also dedicated to improving human health.
Paul Krapcho became a vital member of ̽̽’s College of Arts and Sciences in 1960 and made important contributions to the university’s teaching and research missions for nearly 60 years. During his four decades as a professor in the Department of Chemistry, he taught organic chemistry to 6,000 undergraduate and over 400 graduate students, 49 PhD students. He was an effective and prolific researcher as well, publishing over 130 papers and securing five patents. He played a central role in the discovery and development of Pixatrone, a drug used in the treatment of adults suffering from non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphomas, and also developed a simple method for removing geminal diesters from organic molecules in a process now commonly known as the “Krapcho dealkoxycarbonylation.”
During his remarkable career, Krapcho received numerous awards, including a Fulbright Hays Fellowship, an Ethiopian Government Scholarship for Addis Ababa University, the Warner Lambert Distinguished Lecturer, and the ̽̽ University Research Scholar. He was also elected as a member to the Vermont Academy of Arts and Science and the Vermont Academy of Science and Engineering, was on the editorial boards of the journals Current Medicinal Chemistry and ARKIVOC, and presented research lectures at colleges and universities across the world.
“Paul was a gifted scholar and teacher whose legacy of excellence will endure through his and Arlene’s generous gift of this Green & Gold Professorship,” said Bill Falls, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
“We could not be more thrilled to celebrate the appointment of Dr. Brewer as the inaugural recipient of the A. Paul and Arlene F. Krapcho Green and Gold Professorship in Chemistry,” said a spokesperson for the Krapcho family. “Matthias models the same commitment to research and student mentorship that anchored Dr. Krapcho’s accomplished career at the university. We have full confidence that Dr. Brewer’s work will impact the lives of countless people in the years ahead.”
An organic chemist by training, Matthias Brewer specializes in synthetic organic chemistry with a focus on reaction development and the synthesis of small molecules as potential medicines. He earned his B.A. in chemistry from ̽̽ and his PhD from the University of Wisconsin. After his post-doctoral work at the University of California – Irvine, he returned to ̽̽ as an assistant professor in 2005. Since then, Brewer has made an indelible mark on ̽̽’s Department of Chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences. He was promoted to associate professor in 2011 and full professor in 2016, and became chair of the department in 2021. He also served as co-director of the Undergraduate Degree Program in Biochemistry from 2014 to 2021.
Throughout his career, Brewer has been a noted and prolific researcher, having been published extensively in a wide range of well-regarded journals and received numerous grants, including an NSF CAREER Award. He also received the Thieme Chemistry Journals Award in 2009, the ̽̽ College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Lecture Award in 2019, and, most recently, the Tim Shiner Ally Award in 2022 for working with the ̽̽ community of color to create social change.
Brewer’s research has two main focuses. The first is to study a series of reactive molecules to identify new chemical reactions that could make it easier to create useful molecules. The second, part of a long-standing collaboration with Professor Victor May in the Department of Neurological Sciences, is to identify small molecules that may aid in the development of medicines to treat anxiety and migraine disorders. Over the years, the Brewer research group has synthesized a wide variety of compounds that Professor May has tested in biological assays. Together, they have identified several structurally unique compounds that show promising biological activity.
“To be the recipient of any endowed professorship is a tremendous honor, but this endowed professorship is particularly meaningful to me because of the role Professor Krapcho played in my life,” said Brewer. “When I was an undergraduate student here at ̽̽, I conducted research in Paul Krapcho’s research group. The time and attention he gave me were tremendous, and that experience cemented my desire to pursue a career in organic chemistry. The importance of that experience to my career can’t be overstated, and to receive this endowed professorship that bears his name is truly an honor.”