Professor Norberto Lopes

Winner: 2020 Jeremy Knowles Award

University of São Paulo

For pioneering analytical and polyomic studies that inform chemical ecology and natural product modes of action.

Celebrate Professor Norberto Lopes

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A good friend of mine once said to me: 'Luck is a mixture of dedication and competence'. Get your luck!

Professor Lopes started his career in natural product chemistry by studying ecology and the biological activity of plants in the Amazon Forest and applications by indigenous people from remote regions. His dream was to understand the dynamics of the environment, where an explosion of chemical signals helps to keep the entire environment in balance. According to one of the most famous natural product chemists in Brazil, Professor Otto Richard Gottlieb, "it is necessary to understand nature in order to enjoy it correctly". To address this challenge, Professor Lopes started to work with mass spectrometry, a technique that allowed him to analyse a large number of chemical substances in a single shot. In a simplistic way, it would be like characterizing each line (representing a chemical substance) of a barcode in the final information of the product: in this case, information on the organism's metabolism.

He then started to be more and more enchanted with the function of these substances and, at different times, managed to transform the knowledge of basic research into something applied. In recent years, he has worked on forest dynamics, communication between amphibians, wasp and fruit toxins and bee ecology, and even reached the study of shark metabolism. All these fragments have helped to build an initial picture of nature's chemical dynamics.

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Professor Lopes graduated in 1989 from the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto – University of São Paulo (FCFRP-USP) with a finalization internship at Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen (Germany). He holds a Master's degree (1991–1993) in Pharmacognosy from the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences-USP and a PhD in Organic Chemistry (1993–1997) from the Institute of Chemistry-USP with internship at the Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University USA. He held a Post-Doctorate in Mass Spectrometry at the Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, UK. In 1998, he began his work as Associate Professor in Organic Chemistry at FCFRP-USP and 2008 was promoted to Full Professor.

He was the head of the Physics and Chemistry department for two terms and President of the Research Committee at FCFRP. Currently, he is a member of the Institute for Advanced Studies at USP. Professor Lopes was a member of the Administrative Council in the area of Pharmaceutical Sciences at CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development), the main Brazilian agency for fostering research. In 2017 he was elected a member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences.

Professor Lopes has acted three times as visiting Professor at the Food Chemistry Department-University of Münster teaching Mass Spectrometry. He has a series of personal awards, including the medal honour of the BrMAss and Innovation Price from Brazilian Chemical Society (SBQ). He has held several positions on the SBQ board as Treasurer and Vice-President of Natural Products division, a member of the Advisory Board, Treasurer, General Secretary and more recently President of SBQ. In 2005, he was elected to the creation committee for the foundation of the USP Technology Park at the Ribeirão Preto Campus and has served continuously. This recognition also reflects the fact that six companies with a strong impact on the local economy were created from NPPNS.

Q+A

How did you first become interested in chemistry?

I was born in a chemical environment. My father and uncle were university professors, both working with the phytochemistry of the Asteraceae family. In the 1980s, phytochemical studies required a large amount of plant material and since I was a kid I took part in collection expeditions, something that fascinated me. Soon the next step was to work with chemistry related to biology.

What motivates you?

I am passionate about observation and with each past given a new chemical challenge appears. This is the most beautiful point of nature, the constant movement and adaptation.

What has been your biggest challenge?

The biggest challenge today is the attempt to connect as many omics tools in search of more detailed information about nature. We live in an era where we need to learn how to use natural resources in a rational way and focus our efforts on the search for the planet's balance. My biggest challenge is to supply a grain of sand in this immense desert.

What advice would you give to a young person considering a career in chemistry?

Attention and curiosity, these two words can lead a chemist to reach his goals. Of course, determination and dedication always follow in the same package. A good friend of mine once said to me: "Luck is a mixture of dedication and competence". Get your luck!

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