Chemistry professor Bruce King honored as AAAS Fellow

Thurman D. Kitchin Professor of Chemistry Bruce King was recently named as an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow. Being selected as an AAAS Fellow is a lifetime honor that recognizes long-time members whose work inspires and celebrates scientific excellence.

Since joining Wake Forest in 1995, King has created an organic chemistry lab to investigate biological processes, especially redox (reduction/oxidation) reactions, and their roles in energy and metabolism. His work aims to better understand aging and disease progression and to develop new antibiotics.”

King believes the AAAS Fellow award validates a community approach towards science. He acknowledges all of his students and collaborators as sharing the award with him. 

“None of this would be possible without the aid of talented and hardworking students and collaborators. The most important thing about this recognition is the honor it bestows on all of the graduate and undergraduate students and postdoctoral fellows who worked on these projects and truly brought them to life,” said King. 

Studying wildlife and fisheries management at West Virginia University, King had an early interest in the natural world and in understanding the processes of nature at a molecular level. He shifted gears when he discovered he was more interested in his roommates’ pharmacy school homework and switched his focus to medicinal chemistry. After receiving his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in pharmacy from WVU, he earned his PhD in organic chemistry from Cornell University, followed by postdoctoral research at the Scripps Research Institute in the lab of two-time Nobel Laureate K. Barry Sharpless. 

A few of King’s other recognitions include publishing 129 scientific papers, receiving the MacDonough Family Faculty Fellowship at Wake Forest, being named an established investigator of the American Heart Association, and receiving Wake Forest’s Award for Excellence in Research.

Visit the American Association for the Advancement of Science website to learn about the fellowship program.