David A. Evans was born on January 11, 1941, in Washington, D.C. He received his A.B. from Oberlin College in 1963, where he worked with Norman Craig. He began his graduate studies at the University of Michigan with Robert E. Ireland but moved with the Ireland group to the California Institute of Technology, receiving his Ph.D. from Caltech in 1967.
Evans began his independent research career at the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1967, becoming a full professor in 1973. He then returned to Caltech, where he remained until 1983 when he moved to Harvard University. In 1990, he was appointed the Abbott and James Lawrence Professor of Chemistry. He served as chair of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology from 1995 to 1998 and retired in 2008, assuming professor emeritus status.
Evans is a prominent figure in organic chemistry, with his research focusing on synthetic chemistry and total synthesis, particularly of large biologically active molecules. He is best known for his work on the aldol reaction methodology, including the development of Evans' acyl oxazolidinone method. He also made significant contributions to anionic oxy-Cope rearrangements, metal-catalyzed hydroborations, and catalytic, enantioselective reactions based on bis-oxazoline (box) ligands. The Evans–Saksena reduction and Evans–Tishchenko reaction are named after him.
In addition to his academic achievements, Evans played a crucial role in the development of ChemDraw, a widely used chemical structure drawing software package. He also mentored numerous young scientists, with over 70 individuals entering academia from his laboratory. He has been associated with 100 PhD students and 170 postdoctoral fellows.
David A. Evans was born in Washington, D.C. on January 11, 1941. He received his A.B. degree from Oberlin College in 1963, where he worked with Norman Craig. He began his graduate studies at the University of Michigan with Professor Robert E. Ireland but moved with the Ireland group to the California Institute of Technology, where he obtained his Ph.D. in 1967.
In 1967, Evans joined the faculty at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he became a full professor in 1973. He then returned to Caltech, where he remained until 1983 when he joined the faculty at Harvard University. In 1990, he was appointed the Abbott and James Lawrence Professor of Chemistry. He served as chair of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology from 1995 to 1998 and retired in 2008, assuming professor emeritus status.
Evans is a prominent figure in organic chemistry, with his research focusing on synthetic chemistry and total synthesis, particularly of large biologically active molecules. He is best known for his work on the aldol reaction methodology, including the development of Evans' acyl oxazolidinone method. He also made significant contributions to anionic oxy-Cope rearrangements, metal-catalyzed hydroborations, and catalytic, enantioselective reactions based on bis-oxazoline (box) ligands. The Evans–Saksena reduction and Evans–Tishchenko reaction are named after him.
In addition to his scholarly work, Evans played a crucial role in the development of ChemDraw, a widely used chemical structure drawing software package. He conceived the idea, and it was developed by graduate student Stewart Rubenstein in collaboration with Evans, his wife Sally, and the Evans research group.
Evans has received numerous awards and recognitions for his contributions to the field of chemistry. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1984, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1988, and as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1992. He has also received several prestigious awards, including the Tetrahedron Prize for Creativity in Organic Chemistry & BioMedicinal Chemistry (1998), the Arthur C. Cope Award from the American Chemical Society (2000), the Ryoji Noyori Prize from the Society of Synthetic Organic Chemistry (2006), the Herbert C. Brown Award for Creative Research in Synthetic Methods (2007), and the Roger Adams Award in Organic Chemistry from the American Chemical Society (2013).
David A. Evans was born in Washington, D.C. on January 11, 1941. He received his A.B. degree from Oberlin College in 1963, where he worked with Norman Craig. He began his graduate studies at the University of Michigan with Professor Robert E. Ireland but moved with the Ireland group to the California Institute of Technology, where he obtained his Ph.D. in 1967.
In 1967, Evans joined the faculty at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he became a full professor in 1973. He then returned to Caltech, where he remained until 1983 when he joined the faculty at Harvard University. In 1990, he was appointed the Abbott and James Lawrence Professor of Chemistry. He served as chair of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology from 1995 to 1998 and retired in 2008, assuming professor emeritus status.
Evans is a prominent figure in organic chemistry, with his research focusing on synthetic chemistry and total synthesis, particularly of large biologically active molecules. He is best known for his work on the aldol reaction methodology, specifically the development of Evans' acyl oxazolidinone method. He also developed methodology for anionic oxy-Cope rearrangements, metal-catalyzed hydroborations, and catalytic, enantioselective reactions based on bis-oxazoline (box) ligands. The Evans–Saksena reduction and Evans–Tishchenko reaction are named after him.
Evans has been recognised with numerous awards, including:
Evans also played a key role in the development of ChemDraw, a widely used chemical structure drawing software package. He conceived the idea, and it was developed by a graduate student, Stewart Rubenstein, with input from Evans, his wife Sally, and the Evans research group.
Additionally, Evans has been an important mentor to young scientists, with more than 70 individuals entering academia from his laboratory. He has been associated with 100 PhD students and 170 postdoctoral fellows.