Stephen Hanessian

Stephen Hanessian is a Full Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Université de Montréal, affiliated with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. He joined the university in 1969 and has since mentored over 300 students and postdoctoral researchers. His primary research focuses on the total synthesis of biologically important natural products, medicinal chemistry, and the development of asymmetric synthesis methods. He is a member of the Royal Society of Canada and has held the Isis Pharmaceuticals Research Chair, contributing to drug discovery efforts including antibiotics, antivirals, and anti-leukemic agents.

Affiliations: Member of GRUM (Groupe de Recherche Universitaire sur le Médicament) and CCVC (Centre en Chimie Verte et Catalyse).

Education & Career: PhD from The Ohio State University. Joined Université de Montréal in 1969.

Research Interests: His work spans organic chemistry, bio-organic chemistry, and medicinal chemistry. Key areas include synthesis of aminoglycosides, peptidomimetics, and bioactive compounds. He pioneered the Chiron Approach, a computational method for synthetic design, and developed methods like acyclic stereocontrol and constrained nucleosides.

Awards & Honors: Recipient of the Urgel-Archambault Prize (1987), Marie-Victorin Prize (1996), Herzberg Medal (1996), Killam Prize (1997), and Officer of the Order of Canada (1988). His contributions have been recognized globally with over 20 prestigious awards.

Grants & Projects: Lead researcher in NSERC/Servier Industrial Chair in Synthetic Organic and Chemical Biology, and core member of the CCVC. His projects include drug discovery, catalysis, and green chemistry initiatives. Recent grants focus on LC-MS instrumentation, NMR platforms, and flow chemistry training.

Students & Advising: Supervised over 50+ theses, including recent works on tetrazole synthesis, constrained nucleosides, and enzyme inhibitors. Notable advisees include Benoît Deschênes-Simard (2024), Édouard Duchamp (2021), and Sofiane Hocine (2020).

Labs & Teams: Active in CCVC and GRUM, collaborating with over 50 researchers. His lab integrates synthetic organic chemistry with biological applications, emphasizing drug design and catalytic methods.