Jonathan L. Sessler

Jonathan L. Sessler is Doherty-Welch Regents Chair in Chemistry at The University of Texas at Austin. He is a chemist recognized for his work in bioinorganic and bioorganic chemistry, especially his work on synthetic analogues of blood pigments. 

Sessler opened up three new fields in chemistry: expanded porphyrins, pyrrole-based anion binding, and molecular recognition via base-pairing. Sessler has co-written two books and co-edited a third. Sessler’s work has also led to the founding of two companies (Pharmacyclics, Inc., publicly traded, and a newer startup, InnovoTEX, Inc.) and has given rise to two metal-containing drugs that have advanced into human clinical trials.

Sessler has held visiting professorships at Yonsei University and Shanghai University, and is a member of the European Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Inventors, and the National Academy of Sciences. He earned a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Stanford University.