He created his first organocatalyst by combining an amino acid from an artificial sweetener with nail polish remover. “The first one was so cheap,” MacMillan says. The use of organic material “democratizes” this research, he says, because the organic catalysts are more affordable. “These make the process more accessible to people. When you make tiny changes (in organocatalysts), you can go from something smelling incredibly bad to sweet. It amazes me to this day.”

One of the biggest applications of organocatalysts is in the development of pharmaceuticals. This is where the process of asymmetric organocatalysis comes in, creating molecules that are mirror images of each other. Frequently, scientists only want to use one of the molecules, since the two versions can have different properties, and asymmetric organocatalysis produces them efficiently.

“When you make mirror images for medicines, have to be able to make one and not the other,” according to MacMillan. “You have to use the right one.”

I was working in this box for two years, and I wanted to use organic molecules. I wanted to stay away from metals, because organic molecules are more sustainable and better for the environment.

Caption here. Photo: Name Surname

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MacMillan began working with catalysts in 1999 when he was doing a post-doctoral program at Harvard University. The story of how he came to the U.S. to study also is a bit quirky. MacMillan was inspired by his passion for the National Football League (NFL) in the U.S. “I was doing my undergraduate work in Scotland, and I loved the NFL, so I wrote to 19 universities in the U.S. about getting into their PhD. programs,” he says. “The University of California at Irvine was the only one that accepted me.”

Multiple people, both in and outside the science field, influenced MacMillan on his career path. Among them were Larry Overman, with whom he worked on his PhD; Dave Evans with whom he did his post-doctoral work at Harvard  – “he thinks about chemistry in a different way” – and Scottish comedian Billy Connelly. “He came from working-class Scotland and was able to go off and see the work using his communication skills, having a great relationship with people.”

Teachers worked hard to make sure everyone had a high level of education. I would not have won a Nobel Prize without these teachers.

MacMillan began working with catalysts in 1999 when he was doing a post-doctoral program at Harvard University. The story of how he came to the U.S. to study also is a bit quirky. MacMillan was inspired by his passion for the National Football League (NFL) in the U.S. “I was doing my undergraduate work in Scotland, and I loved the NFL, so I wrote to 19 universities in the U.S. about getting into their PhD. programs,” he says. “The University of California at Irvine was the only one that accepted me.”

Multiple people, both in and outside the science field, influenced MacMillan on his career path. Among them were Larry Overman, with whom he worked on his PhD; Dave Evans with whom he did his post-doctoral work at Harvard  – “he thinks about chemistry in a different way” – and Scottish comedian Billy Connelly. “He came from working-class Scotland and was able to go off and see the work using his communication skills, having a great relationship with people.”

Name Surname

Born: March 16, 1968, Bellshill, United Kingdom

Age: 53

Nationality: Scottish

Personal: Married, two stepdaughters, one daughter. His family gave him a male frog at one point so he wouldn’t feel so outnumbered.

Interests: “I play golf, I used to fly planes. I love following soccer and NFL games.”