Sir Jack Baldwin, FRS: biomimetic studies at Oxford.

October 2005 has brought about the end of an era in organic chemistry at the University of Oxford. Almost two years since the doors of the Dyson Perrins (DP) Laboratory were closed to organic chemistry, the last Head of this renowned department has retired his chair. Professor Sir Jack Baldwin, FRS (Fig. 1), Wayneflete Professor of Organic Chemistry, joined Oxford in 1978, succeeding Sir Ewart Jones, FRS. Continuing a tradition of great scientific achievement, and building upon standards set by his predecessors, Sir Jack, or ‘‘The Prof’’, as known by many past and present students, has been at the forefront of scientific achievement throughout his tenure at Oxford. Born in London in 1938, Jack Baldwin studied chemistry at Imperial College, London, where he gained a PhD in organic chemistry working for the Nobel laureate, Professor Sir Derek Barton, FRS. He remained at Imperial for a short period where he was appointed lecturer, before moving overseas to pursue a career in the USA. The move proved very successful, and it wasn’t too long before Professor Baldwin had built an international reputation for pioneering work in organic chemistry. Beginning his career at Pennsylvania State University, and then later moving to MIT, Sir Jack quickly moved up the ranks, gaining everincreasing attention from the chemistry community. As a result of his success, he was elected as Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1978, and made a Foreign Honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Science. His varied scientific achievements at that time include the landmark The School of Pharmacy, University of London, UK. E-mail: [email protected]; Fax: +44 (0)20 7753 5804; Tel: +44 (0)20 7753 5800 The Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, UK. E-mail: [email protected]; Fax: +44 (0)1865 275 626; Tel: +44 (0)1865 275 626 { Dedicated to Professor Sir Jack Baldwin, FRS on the occasion of his 67th birthday.