New faculty spotlight: Paul Trippier, Ph.D.

Paul Trippier, Ph.D., is a new faculty member at UNMC.

• Name: Paul Trippier, D.Phil.
• Hometown: Manchester, United Kingdom
• Title and department at UNMC: Associate professor, pharmaceutical sciences

Research/professional interests:

• Small molecule drug discovery for cancer and neurodegenerative diseases;
• Chemical biology; and
• Organic chemistry.

How I fell in love with chemistry: During a high school science class, the teacher was explaining the reactivity of sodium. He put a small chunk of the metal into a bucket of water, intending to let us see it ignite in a controlled condition. It did ignite, but it then shot out of the bucket and burned a hole in one of my friend’s backpacks. After the fire department left, I was hooked. There is a thrill in being able to design and synthesize structures that have never existed before. Organic chemistry is the ultimate Lego set for adults. What fascinates me even more is how a molecule made by a marine sponge for example, or another natural product, can have activity to kill cancer cells or a virus. Nature is beautiful, and the medicinal chemist can harness that beauty, add in some flair and create small molecules that can be used to treat or better understand human disease. You have to admit that’s pretty cool!

Degrees:

• Master’s, chemistry, University of Hull, United Kingdom
• Ph.D., University of Oxford, United Kingdom

Memberships:

• American Chemical Society
• Royal Society of Chemistry

Two things people may not know about me:

• I’m a big Chicago Blackhawks fan and Wigan rugby fan.
• Almost everything in my house is pink; I have three young daughters and a wife, and even the dog is female.