What Baker Professor of Chemistry and Department Chair Larry French enjoys most about his work is how all aspects of his job are related. 

“I find the balance between teaching and research and the ability to incorporate research activities into my teaching very satisfying,” he says.

French, who has taught at St. Lawrence for twenty years, received a B.S in chemistry from the University of Maine at Orono in 1982 and his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Princeton University in 1986.

What got him interested in chemistry?  “I was intrigued by the fact that you could make solid hypotheses about the possible biological activity of organic molecules and then actually construct these substances, many of which had never before existed, and test these hypotheses,” he says.  “This work can lead not only to new drugs, but also provides tools which enable a deeper understanding of biological processes.”

He finds working with students to be a valuable learning experience for both him and the students.  French and his students have given presentations on their research six times since 2002 at the American Chemistry Society National Meetings, which are held in March or April each year, and he and his students have co-authored papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals such as the European Journal of Pharmacology and The Chemical Educator. His own research has been published in numerous publications, including the Journal of Chemical Education, Journal of Organic Chemistry and Tetrahedron Asymmetry.