Holden Thorp, Ph.D.

A chemist, entrepreneur and professor, Dr. Thorp is Editor-in-Chief of the Science family of journals. Prior to Science, he was provost of Washington University. He currently serves as the Rita Levi-Montalcini Distinguished University Professor, holding appointments in both chemistry and medicine. Dr. Thorp joined Washington University after spending three decades at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), where he served as the 10th chancellor until 2013. He earned his B.S. in chemistry from UNC and his Ph.D. in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology, working with Harry B. Gray on inorganic photochemistry. He completed postdoctoral work at Yale University with Gary W. Brudvig, working on model compounds and reactions for the manganese cluster in the photosynthetic reaction center. Dr. Thorp holds an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from North Carolina Wesleyan College and is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Inventors and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In his research career, he studied electron-transfer reactions of nucleic acids, developed technology for electronic DNA chips and cofounded Viamet Pharmaceuticals, which developed oteseconazole, now held by Mycovia Pharmaceuticals, which has submitted a new drug application following successful Phase 3 trials. Dr. Thorp is a venture partner at Hatteras Venture Partners, a consultant to Ancora and is also on the board of directors of the College Advising Corps. He has co-authored two books on higher education: Engines of Innovation: The Entrepreneurial University in the Twenty-First Century and Our Higher Calling: Rebuilding the Partnership Between America and its Colleges and Universities, both from UNC Press.