Scripps Research Institute professor named MacArthur Fellow

Scripps Research Institute chemistry professor Phil Baran has been named as a MacArthur Fellow for work including inventing new approaches to synthesizing natural products en masse.

The 36-year-old Baran will receive $625,000 over the next five years.

There are no stipulations or reporting requirements for the stipend, providing maximum freedom for recipients to follow their own creative vision, according to Cecilia Conrad, the vice president of the MacArthur Fellows Program.

The 24 members of this class of MacArthur Fellows are exceptionally creative individuals with a track record of achievement and the potential for even more significant contributions in the future, Conrad said.