Robert H. Grubbs

Dr. Robert H. Grubbs is the Victor and Elizabeth Atkins Professor of Chemistry at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, where he has been a faculty member since 1978. Before moving to Caltech, he was at Michigan State University from 1969 to 1978 achieving the rank of Associate Professor. He is the inventor of Grubbs Catalyst™ technology. He has received numerous professional fellowships and awards and is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

He is a founder, director or advisor to numerous technology companies, including Cyrano Sciences, Coelacanth, Pharmacopeia, Insert Therapeutics, Calhoun Vision and Symyx Technologies.

Dr. Grubbs' research group is involved in the design, synthesis, and mechanistic studies of complexes that catalyze basic organic transformations. The major focus of the group over the past few years has been on the olefin metathesis reaction. To optimize the utility of this reaction, new catalysts have been developed that are extremely tolerant of organic functional groups. Due to their high-activity, functional group tolerance, and ease of use, these ruthenium-based catalysts have found wide applications in organic and polymer synthesis.

Dr. Grubbs has authored more than 400 publications and over 80 patents. He received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2005 for the discovery and development of the olefin metatheses reaction and its applications to organic synthesis.