K. Barry Sharpless

K. Berry Sharpless (born 1941) won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2001 for his work on chirally catalysed oxidation reactions (Sharpless epoxidation, Sharpless bishydroxylation). This prize was shared with William S. Knowles and Ryoji Noyori for their study of chirally catalyzed hydrogenations.

Sharpless was born in Philadelphia. He began his studies in Dartmouth College and earned his PhD from Stanford University in 1963. He continued post-doctoral work at Stanford University and Harvard University.

Sharpless became professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and the Scripps Research Institute, where currently holds the W. M. Keck professorship in chemistry.