Geoffrey A. Cordell

Professor Emeritus Geoffrey A. Cordell obtained his Ph.D. in 1970 in synthetic and natural products chemistry at the University of Manchester, England and, after two years in the Department of Chemistry at M.I.T., Cambridge, USA, joined the College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois Chicago, from where he retired, initially in 2002 and then again in 2007, after serving as a Center Director, Department Head, Associate Dean, Interim Dean, and Assistant Vice Chancellor.  He is the author of over 620 publications, three books on alkaloids, and is the editor of 37 books. His NIH/NCI-funded collaborative research programs focused on drug discovery (cancer, malaria, fertility regulation) and the biosynthesis of natural products, particularly alkaloids, and the application of new techniques for structure elucidation, unambiguous NMR assignments, bioautography, and characterizing biological assessments in complex matrices through dereplication.

He is an Honorary Professor at universities in China, India, and the Philippines, and a Visiting Professor in Malaysia (4 universities), Japan, Thailand (5 universities), Mexico, Brazil, Peru, and Colombia, and has been a special advisor to WHO on traditional medicine since 1978.  In 1992, he was the Co-founder of the U.S.-Thai Consortium for the Development of Pharmacy Education in Thailand.  He is a Past President, Fellow, and Honorary Member of the American Society of Pharmacognosy, and has received several international awards for his research innovations and achievements, including International Ethnopharmacologist of the Year in 2015.  He is presently writing two books on alkaloids and advising and offering lectures and workshops in various countries on the future of natural products and research development at the university and national levels.  His current research interests include alkaloids and their biosynthesis, ecopharmacognosy, medicines security, cyberecoethnopharmacolomics, L.O.V.E. and natural products in the 4IR and 5IR, the impact of COP28 on natural products research, and C.A.R.E. and publication practices in research. He has over 31,400 citations and an h-index of 83.

March 11, 2024