Robert Ben

Professor Ben obtained his undergraduate degree in Biochemistry from Laurentian University (Sudbury, ON) in 1990. He undertook graduate studies in synthetic organic chemistry at the University of Ottawa under the supervision of Professor Tony Durst and obtained his PhD in 1994. After a postdoctoral position at the University of Toronto from 1994-1996 he accepted a Research Associate position at the Steacie Institute of Molecular Sciences (SIMS) at the National Research Council of Canada in Ottawa. In 1998, he started his independent research career as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Binghamton. During the summer of 2003, he joined the Chemistry Department at the University of Ottawa with a Canada Research Chair in Medicinal Chemistry. In 2013, he became Director for the Biopharmaceutical Science (BPS) and Biomedical Science (BMS) programs at the University of Ottawa and was promoted to Full Professor in 2015. Professor Ben’s research interests are interdisciplinary in nature (organic synthesis, bioorganic chemistry, carbohydrates, peptides, cell biology) with the main focus being the rational design and synthesis of new cryoprotectants that function by inhibiting ice recrystallization during cryopreservation or vitrification. These cryoprotectants are used to cryopreserve progenitor cells and tissues for emerging cellular therapies.