Professor James Panek Named the First Samour Family Professor in Organic Chemistry
In April 2004, Professor James Panek was named the first Samour Family Professor in Organic Chemistry. This endowed chair was established by Dr. Carlos Samour, who received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Boston University in 1950. Dr. Samour is a respected scientist and businessman who has been a committed supporter of the College of Arts and Sciences at Boston University. He is a philanthropist whose generosity to the Department of Chemistry is now being recognized in perpetuity by the Chair that bears his family’s name. Professor Panek is the inaugural incumbent of the Samour Chair in acknowledgment of his nationally and internationally recognized accomplishments in the field of synthetic organic chemistry. Professor Panek is affiliated with Boston University’s new Center for Chemical Methodology and Library Development, established as a Center of Excellence by the National Institute of General Medical Science of the National Institutes of Health.