Richard Holm and Stephen Lippard to

share Welch Award

By Linda Wang

Charles W. Tate (top left), chair and director of the Welch Foundation Board of Directors, awarded
the medals to Holm (front) and Lippard.
Credit: Dave Rossman
For their influential work in inorganic and bioinorganic chemistry, Richard H. Holm of Harvard
University and Stephen J. Lippard of Massachusetts Institute of Technology have been awarded
the 2016 Robert A. Welch Award in Chemistry. They will share the $500,000 prize, which recognizes
important research contributions that have had a significant and positive impact on humankind.
Steve Lippard and Dick Holm are pioneers in the field of bioinorganic chemistry, said Peter B.
Dervan, chair of the Welch Foundations scientific advisory board. They have revealed the crucial
role of metals in biology and human medicine, as well as inspired and mentored the next generation
of researchers.
Holm, who is the Higgins Emeritus Professor of Chemistry at Harvard University, has developed a
rational approach to synthesis of biomimetic low molecular weight complexes that duplicate
biological iron-sulfur centers and has created the chemical and intellectual framework for

understanding their function. He earned a B.S. in chemistry from the University of Massachusetts,
Amherst, and a Ph.D. in chemistry from MIT.
Lippard, who is the Arthur Amos Noyes Professor of Chemistry at MIT, is researching the role of
metal ions in biological systems, allowing a clearer understanding of the mechanism and basis of
cytotoxicity of the platinum anticancer drug cisplatin. I have deep personal interests in providing
drug candidates for treating cancer and for understanding chemical reactions that drive brain
function, which, when disrupted, can have devastating consequences, he says. It is my hope that
our science might contribute in some small measure to achieving these goals.
Lippard earned a B.S. in chemistry from Haverford College and a Ph.D. in chemistry from MIT. Other
awards include the 2004 National Medal of Science and the 2014 ACS Priestley Medal.
Lippard notes that his recognitions are a testimony to the creative talents and discoveries of the
many graduate students and postdoctoral research associates who have worked in my laboratories
over a period of 50 years.
Holm and Lippard were honored at the Welch Award Banquet on Oct. 24.