Emeritus Professor
Citation delivered by Professor Patricia M. Davidson Vice-Chancellor and President at the University of Wollongong on the occasion of the admission of Stephen Geoffrey Pyne as an Emeritus Professor of the University on 2 November 2022.
Chancellor, I present Professor Stephen Pyne.
Professor Stephen Geoffrey Pyne is an internationally respected leader in organic chemistry who has led crucial and significant advances in organic synthesis, medicinal chemistry, and natural products chemistry. Attracting near-continuous ARC Discovery Project support since 1998, Stephen secured five ARC LIEF grants for major equipment in the School of Chemistry and held six NHMRC grants in the area of antibacterial drug development. He is widely published and cited, and also holds seven patents.
Joining UOW in 1985 as a lecturer, Stephen embarked on a distinguished 36-year career with the University, making Professor in 1998. Among his many proud achievements is serving as Director of UOW’s purpose-built $7.6-million Johnson & Johnson Research Pharmaceutical Research Laboratory, Director of the Centre for Medicinal Chemistry, and Deputy Director of the Centre for Medical and Molecular Bioscience.
Stephen has collaborated extensively in Australia and internationally, earning the 2009 Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Research Partnerships and a Commendation for the Vice Chancellor's Research Excellence for Senior Researcher Award in 2010. He has advanced UOW, his field and academia more broadly through service to the Royal Chemical Institute, Australian Research Council, the AIIM Promotion Committee and the UOW ARC and NHMRC Review Panel, among others.
A committed and generous educator, Stephen has inspired generations of students and researchers to share his passion for chemical research. He has supervised more than 50 UOW PhD students and over 20 visiting Thai PhD students to obtain their PhD degrees and make their impact in academia, government and private research.
Appointed as a Faculty Honorary Professor on his retirement in 2021, Stephen remains highly active and engaged. He continues to generate and publish research at the highest levels, supervise PhD students, mentor colleagues, and represent UOW at national and international conferences.
Chancellor, Professor Stephen Pynes contribution to the University, its community, and the field of organic chemistry as a researcher, educator and academic leader is immense.
It is a privilege to present Professor Stephen Pyne to be admitted as an Emeritus Professor of the University of Wollongong.