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
