Paul Helquist, Professor and Associate Chair, University of Notre Dame

Dr. Paul Helquist is Professor of Chemistry and Associate Chair at the University of Notre Dame. He has been a university faculty member for 44 years.

Dr. Helquist is a specialist in synthetic organic chemistry and has over 180 publications and patents in the following areas:

• Development of new synthetic methods
• Design and development of transition metal reagents and catalysts for selective synthetic reactions, including new enantioselective methods
• Development of new methods for the total synthesis of natural products synthesis and applications to new pharmaceuticals

Also, a therapeutic agent from his laboratory has been in an FDA-approved human clinical trial.

Dr. Helquist has served as Chair of the Chemistry Board of Examiners for the Graduate Records Examination at the Educational Testing Service; Director of the National Science Foundation Workshop for College Teachers of Organic Chemistry; and a consultant to the pharmaceutical industry. 

Since 1981, Dr. Helquist has offered special courses internationally on advanced synthetic organic chemistry through the American Chemical Society and several other sponsors. He has been Visiting Professor at European universities on several occasions.

Dr. Helquist received his B.S. degree in Chemistry and Mathematics at the University of Minnesota. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Organic Chemistry at Cornell University, followed by postdoctoral research in Synthetic Organic Chemistry at Harvard University with Nobel Laureate E. J. Corey.