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OTTAWA, April 6, 2011  —  André Beauchemin, associate professor in the University of Ottawa’s Department of Chemistry, has been awarded the AstraZeneca Award in Chemistry for 2011 in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the field of synthetic organic chemistry.

The award, an unrestricted grant of $100,000 over two years ($50,000 per year), is part of AstraZeneca’s commitment to support excellence in chemistry across Canada. It is awarded every year to recognize outstanding contributions by Canadian academic researchers who have demonstrated distinct potential in organic chemistry by publishing innovative and influential work.

The Beauchemin research group's main objective is to streamline the synthesis of pharmaceuticals. Specifically, Prof. Beauchemin's research focuses on common structural elements incorporating nitrogen atoms, which are found in over 90% of all pharmaceuticals. Currently, the conversion of inexpensive petrochemicals or other easily accessible "building blocks" into nitrogen-containing molecules requires several steps, and more efficient processes are both possible and necessary. This research award will provide the resources to develop these processes, in collaboration with medicinal chemists at AstraZeneca Canada.

Originally from Quebec City, André Beauchemin received a BSc in chemistry from Université Laval in 1996, and a PhD from the Université de Montréal in 2001, under the supervision of Professor André B. Charette. His post-doctoral appointment was at Harvard University, where he worked on the total synthesis of the marine natural product azaspiracid 1under the guidance of Professor David A. Evans. André Beauchemin joined the Faculty of Science of the University of Ottawa in August 2004.