Prof Dr Robert Thomas Willamson is curently the Yousry Sayed Distinguished Professor of Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW). He holds a Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry from Oregon State University and an M.S. degree in Organic Chemistry from UNCW. He has 18 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, including being a member of project teams that launched more than 20 marketed drugs. He worked for Merck & Co. Inc., where he held the position of Director - Structure Elucidation Lead and was responsible for providing scientific leadership to ~28 Ph.D. scientists spread across 5 different research labs in the US. In addition, he has a large experience in academia (more than 10 years working in research at University) and has published over 160 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. He has co-chaired a variety of technical conferences and has been invited to provide many lectures in the US and internationally. He is also a member of the scientific board of directors for Apertor Pharmaceuticals Inc. and TCG Green Chem. Inc.