Ryan Shenvi, PhD, a professor of chemistry at Scripps Research, has been awarded the A.V. Rama Rao Award in Organic/Bioorganic Chemistry by the Council of the Chemical Research Society of India (CRSI). The award is given to an organic chemist who has made original contributions in the areas of organic/bioorganic chemistry.

The A.V. Rama Rao Award was created by CRSI in honor of A.V. Rama Rao, PhD, a former director of the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology and the founder of the Avra Group. Rao studied under Nobel laureate E.J. Corey, who advanced the theory and practice   chemical synthesis, and was a mentor to several Scripps Research faculty members.

The Shenvi lab has reported noteworthy discoveries and inventions within the areas of chemical synthesis and catalysis. His lab focuses on expanding our understanding of complex metabolites and how to improve their biological properties. A recent preprint with graduate student Chunyu Li describes how to better integrate computation into synthesis and property modification. Notably, Shenvi and his team have reported a series of base metal-catalyzed reactions, including a new hydrogenation reaction named after him.

Shenvi is a recipient of other international honors, including the Mukaiyama Award and the Katritzky Award. He received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry at the Pennsylvania State University and his doctorate at Scripps Research.

As part of the award, Shenvi will receive a $10,000 prize, medal and citation to be presented during the CRSI National Symposium in Chemistry at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal from February 6–9, 2025.