Paul S. Anderson
The information listed below is current as of the date the transcript was finalized.
Interview Details
Interview Sessions
Abstract of Interview
Paul S. Anderson begins the interview with a discussion of his family and his childhood in Vermont. Though he was born in Concord, Vermont, in 1938, his father became the superintendent of Swainton, Vermont, schools soon after his son’s birth, and so Anderson’s family moved there. Paul Anderson attended Highgate High School, and went on to attend the University of Vermont for his undergraduate studies in chemistry. After receiving his BS in chemistry in 1959, Anderson attended the University of New Hampshire, where he earned his PhD in chemistry in 1963. Following a brief post-doctoral fellowship with Jerrold Meinwald at Cornell University, Anderson accepted a senior research position at the Merck, Sharp & Dohme Research Laboratories. Over the next thirty years, Anderson advanced through the ranks of Merck leadership, eventually becoming the vice president for chemistry at their West Point facilities. In 1994, DuPont and Merck formed a joint-venture company, for which Anderson served as the vice president for the chemical and physical sciences. Then, in 1998, DuPont bought out Merck’s half of the joint venture and made Anderson the senior vice president of his department for the newly formed DuPont Pharmaceuticals. When Bristol-Meyers Squibb bought DuPont Pharmaceuticals in 2001, Anderson continued with the company as the vice president of drug discovery. Anderson concludes his interview with his feelings about winning the Perkin Medal and the significance of federal funding for scientific research.
Education
| Year | Institution | Degree | Discipline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | University of Vermont | BS | Chemistry |
| 1963 | University of New Hampshire | PhD | Chemistry |
Professional Experience
Merck Sharp & Dohme Research Laboratories
DuPont Merck Pharmaceutical Company
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
Honors
| Year(s) | Award |
|---|---|
| 1992 | Philadelphia Section of the American Chemical Society Award |
| 1995 | E. B. Herschberg Award for Important Discoveries in Medicinally Active Substances (ACS) |
| 1998 | D.Sc. (Honoris causa), University of Vermont |
| 1998 | D.Sc. (Honoris causa), University of Montpelier |
| 1998 | Lord Company Lecturer at Allegheny College |
| 1999 | Regents Lecturer, University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Chemistry |
| 1999 | Lambda Upsilon Award Lectureship, University of Nebraska, Department of Chemistry |
| 1999 | Commencement Speaker, College of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley |
| 2000 | Robbins Lecturer at Pomona College |
| 2001 | Hurd Lecturer at Northwestern University |
| 2001 | American Chemical Society Award in Industrial Chemistry |
| 2001 | Doctor of Chemistry (Honoris causa), University of New Hampshire |
| 2002 | Perkin Medal, Society of Chemical Industry |
| 2002 | Edward Smissman Lecturer at the University of Kansas |
Table of Contents
Born in Concord, Vermont. Father's work in the Vermont school system. Attending Highgate High School. Initial interest in chemistry. Undergraduate education at the University of Vermont. Donald Gregg. Clinton Cook.
Graduate education at University of New Hampshire. Robert Lyle. Harold Iddles. Paul Jones. Lecturing at UNH. Introduction to medicinal chemistry.
Post-doctoral fellowship with Jerrold Meinwald at Cornell University. Researching cockroaches. Harold Scheraga. Peter Debye. Joining Merck Laboratories. Working with Frank Robinson and Jim Sprague. Drug research at Merck. Gordon Gribble. Producing aromatic hydrocarbons. MK-108.
Ralph S. Hirschmann. Becoming the head of medicinal chemistry at West Point. P. Roy Vagelos becomes head of research at Merck. Management philosophy at West Point. Considering the mechanisms of action. Various drugs developed at Merck. The DuPont-Merck Pharmaceutical Company. The selling of Merck to Bristol-Meyers Squibb. The future of Bristol-Meyers.
Reflections on winning the Perkin Medal. The importance of federal investment in research. Serving as president of the American Chemical Society. Discussion of his wife and future goals.
About the Interviewer
James G. Traynham is a professor of chemistry at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. He holds a PhD in organic chemistry from Northwestern University. He joined Louisiana State University in 1953 and served as chemistry department chairperson from 1968 to 1973. He was chairman of the American Chemical Society’s Division of the History of Chemistry in 1988 and is currently councilor of the Baton Rouge section of the American Chemical Society. He was a member of the American Chemical Society’s Joint-Board Council on Chemistry and Public Affairs, as well as a member of the Society’s Committees on Science, Chemical Education, and Organic Chemistry Nomenclature. He has written over 90 publications, including a book on organic nomenclature and a book on the history of organic chemistry.