December 2, 2010

Anthony Bishop, associate professor of chemistry, is one of just six chemistry professors nationwide to receive a 2010 Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award. The award provides Bishop with a $60,000 unrestricted grant that will be used for project titled “Target-Specific Control of Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase (PTP) Activity: Chemical-Genetic Tools for the Study of PTP-Mediated Cell Signaling.”

Anthony Bishop

“All of us in the chemistry department are extremely pleased by this recognition of Anthony by the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation,” said Mark Marshall, Class of 1959 Professor of Chemistry and chair of the department. “Our students have repeatedly described his dedication to their learning and his commitment to their success, and they praise his ability to combine rigor and accessibility in his presentations of organic chemistry and biochemistry. A brilliant and witty colleague who is passionate about teaching, he has been characterized as a leader in his field of chemical biology and as a model for faculty throughout the nation in pursuing research involving undergraduates.”

Bishop’s project involves an area he has long studied: the design and synthesis of chemicals that can control the activities of cellular proteins very selectively. Specifically, said Bishop, funds from the Dreyfus award will allow him to purchase equipment that will be critical for testing the potency and selectivity of compounds in living cells.

“It feels great to have received this honor,” said Bishop. “It’s always nice to have one’s research and teaching recognized.”

According to its website, the Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards support the research and teaching careers of talented young faculty in the chemical sciences. Based on institutional nominations, the program provides discretionary funding to faculty at early stages in their careers. The initiative is based on accomplishment in scholarly research with undergraduates, as well as a compelling commitment to teaching. Its Teacher-Scholars are independent faculty members who have “demonstrated leadership in original scholarly research of outstanding quality with undergraduates and excellence and dedication in undergraduate education.”

Bishop earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of California, San Diego, and his Ph.D. from Princeton University. He teaches courses in organic chemistry and biochemistry and conducts research organic chemistry and molecular biology. He and his lab team use a combination of chemical and biochemical approaches to study two central biological processes: cellular signal transduction and protein synthesis.