Ronald T. Raines

Roger and Georges Firmenich Professor of Natural Products Chemistry

Sc.B.
, Chemistry — Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Sc.B., Biology — Massachusetts Institute of Technology
A.M.
, Chemistry — Harvard University
Ph.D., Chemistry — Harvard University
Postdoctorate
— University of California, San Francisco

Professor Raines (he/him) received Sc.B. degrees in chemistry and biology at MIT, performing undergraduate research with Christopher T. Walsh. He received A.M. and Ph.D. degrees in chemistry at Harvard University for research done with Jeremy R. Knowles. He was a Helen Hay Whitney postdoctoral fellow with William J. Rutter in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of California, San Francisco. He then joined the faculty at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he became the Henry Lardy Professor of Biochemistry, Linus Pauling Professor of Chemical Biology, and a Professor of Chemistry. He was a Visiting Associate in Chemistry at Caltech in 2009. In 2017, he returned to MIT as the Roger and Georges Firmenich Professor of Natural Products Chemistry, an Extramural Member of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, and an Associate Member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

Professor Raines is an author of over 420 peer-reviewed journal articles and an inventor on more than 65 US patents. He has advised over 100 graduate students and postdoctorates. Alumni from his research group enjoy careers as faculty members at distinguished research universities, medical schools, and colleges; and as research scientists at innovative start-up companies, leading corporations, and government laboratories.

Honors, Fellowships, and Lectureships

Gilead Sciences Sponsored Lectureship in Organic Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, 2024

Gladys Yee Peng Lectureship, Virginia Tech, 2023

Biopolymers Murray Goodman Memorial Prize, American Chemical Society, 2022

Khorana Prize, Royal Society of Chemistry (London), 2022

Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2022

Clifford B. Purves Memorial Lectureship, McGill University, 2021

Max Bergmann Medal, Max Bergmann Society (Germany/Austria/Switzerland), 2019

Edward J. McNelis Distinguished Lectureship, New York University, 2019

Eli Lilly Lectureship, Harvard University, 2019

Fellow, Royal Society of Biology (London), 2019

Vincent du Vigneaud Award, American Peptide Society, 2017

Michael Laskowski Lectureship, Purdue University, 2017

Fellow, National Academy of Inventors, 2016

Ralph F. Hirschmann Award, American Chemical Society, 2016

Humboldt Research Award, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (Bonn), 2015

WARF Named Professorship (Linus Pauling Professor of Chemical Biology), University of Wisconsin–Madison, 2014–2017

Givaudan–Karrer Distinguished Visiting Professor, Universität Zürich, 2014

Robert W. Taft Memorial Lectureship, University of California, Irvine, 2014

Jeremy Knowles Award, Royal Society of Chemistry (London), 2013

Kenneth L. Rinehart Lectureship, University of Illinois, Urbana, 2011

Dr. Homer C. and Dr. Emily Davis Weed Lectureship, University of Arizona, 2011

Repligen Award, American Chemical Society, 2010

Kellett Mid-Career Faculty Researcher Award, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 2009–2010

Visiting Associate in Chemistry, California Institute of Technology, 2009

Earl H. and Marian A. Beling Lectureship, Illinois Wesleyan University, 2009

Welch Lecturership, Welch Foundation, 2008

Rao Makineni Lectureship Award, American Peptide Society, 2007

Henry Lardy Professor of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 2006–2017

Fellow, Royal Society of Chemistry (London), 2006

Emil Thomas Kaiser Award, Protein Society, 2005

Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award, American Chemical Society, 2004

Vilas Associates Award, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 2002–2004

Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2002

Guggenheim Fellowship, J. S. Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, 2001–2002

H. I. Romnes Faculty Fellowship, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 1998–1999

Pfizer Award, American Chemical Society, 1998

Pound Research Award, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 1995

Hilldale Undergraduate/Faculty Research Fellowships (19), University of Wisconsin–Madison, 1992–2017

Shaw Scientist Award, Milwaukee Foundation, 1991–1996

Junior Faculty Research Award, American Cancer Society, 1991–1994

Presidential Young Investigator Award, National Science Foundation, 1990–1995

Searle Scholar Award, Chicago Community Trust, 1990–1993

Steenbock Career Development Award, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 1989–1994

Postdoctoral Fellowship, Helen Hay Whitney Foundation, 1986–1989

Predoctoral Fellowship, National Institute of Health, 1981–1983

Rensselaer Medal Award, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1975

Professional Service

Councilor (Elected), American Peptide Society, 2019–Present

Editorial Board of Current Opinion in Chemical Biology, 2019–Present

Session Organizer, American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Annual Meeting; San Diego, CA, 2018

Issue Co-Editor for Accounts of Chemical Research, 2017

Editorial Board of Bioconjugate Chemistry, 2016–Present

Scientific Advisory Board, Keystone Symposia, 2010–2019

Member-at-Large (Elected), Chemistry Section Steering Committee, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2010–2014

Scientific Committee, Eighth International Meeting on Ribonucleases; Naples, Italy, 2010

Editorial Board of Protein Science, 2009–Present

Issue Co-Editor for Current Opinion in Chemical Biology, 2008

Editorial Board for Protein Engineering, Design & Selection, 2008–Present

Editorial Board of Faculty of 1000 Biology, 2008–2010

Chair, Synthetic and Biological Chemistry B (SBCB) Study Section, NIH, 2007–2009

Editorial Board of ACS Chemical Biology, 2006–Present

Member, Synthetic and Biological Chemistry B (SBCB) Study Section, NIH, 2005–2009

Scientific Committee, Seventh International Meeting on Ribonucleases; Stará Lesná, Slovak Republic, 2005

Editorial Board of Peptide Science, 2004–Present

Member (Elected), Nominating Committee, Division of Biological Chemistry, American Chemical Society, 2003–2005

Editorial Board of the Journal of Biomolecular Screening, 1996–2003

Issue Co-Editor for Current Opinion in Chemical Biology, 2002

Scientific Committee, Sixth International Meeting on Ribonucleases; Bath, United Kingdom, 2002

Panelist, HHMI Predoctoral Fellowships in Biological Sciences, 2001

Scientific Committee, Fifth International Meeting on Ribonucleases; Warrenton, VA, 1999

Invited Participant, NSF Workshop on Physical Organic Chemistry, 1998

Ad Hoc Reviewer, NIH, 1997–Present

Scientific Committee, Fourth International Meeting on Ribonucleases; Groningen, The Netherlands, 1996

Ad Hoc Reviewer, NSF, 1995–Present

Member, The Education Council, MIT, 1995–1996

Ad Hoc Reviewer, SNSF, 1990–present