Julia Snyder, Transcript Reporter
An Ohio Wesleyan chemistry professor has accepted a job at the Ohio State University where he will serve as an assistant professor focusing on antimicrobial drug discovery.
Mark Mitton-Fry has taught several chemistry classes and labs at OWU for the past four years. After this semester, he will work in the division of medicinal chemistry and pharmacognosy at OSU’s College of Pharmacy.
Mitton-Fry’s new position will be much more heavily focused on research with collaborators from the College of Pharmacy, the College of Medicine and elsewhere at OSU.
“I will supervise graduate students pursuing their Ph.D.s, and I will also likely hire postdoctoral researchers for my group,” Mitton-Fry said. “Building a team with diverse expertise will give us the opportunity to investigate complex but critically important problems in infectious disease.”
Mitton-Fry said he is thrilled about the opportunity to lead a research program in the area of infectious disease and is excited about the new challenges.
Before starting his academic career, he worked as a medicinal chemist in the pharmaceutical industry, with a portion of his career being devoted to antibacterial research.
“Multidrug-resistant bacterial infections constitute a significant threat to human health, and this position will hopefully give me an opportunity to have an impact on that problem,” Mitton-Fry said. “The process of trying to invent new medicines is an exhilarating one, and I look forward to the dynamic research environment at Ohio State.”
Junior Rebecca Manning, who is a chemistry and biology double major, said she is sad to see him go and that he will be missed by many.
“Dr. Mitton-Fry is so kind and helpful,” Manning said. “I have learned a great deal from him during my time here at OWU. He is an exemplary mentor and professor. He is known for his many achievements and will continue to achieve greatness wherever he goes.”
Mitton-Fry added, “I have loved my time at Ohio Wesleyan, and I will certainly miss my students. My colleagues in the chemistry department have been very supportive during my time here, and they have been excellent mentors. I will miss seeing them everyday.”
Some of his students from his very first class at OWU (Chem 110 in Fall 2012) are graduating this May and he looks forward to celebrating their accomplishments with them.