Richard A. Bunce earned his B.S. (magna cum laude) in Chemistry from Marietta College in 1975 and his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1981. From 1981–1983, he was a National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley. He joined the faculty at Oklahoma State University in Fall 1983 and is now a Regents Professor of Chemistry. His research interests include mechanistic organic chemistry, the development of new synthetic approaches to heterocyclic compounds, and the synthesis of medicinal agents. For the past 5 years, he has been working on several projects to prepare and develop new anticancer and antibiotic agents. In recognition of his research accomplishments, he received the Sigma Xi Lectureship Award in 2007, the Oklahoma Chemist of the Year Award in 2009, and the Regents Distinguished Research Award in 2012. He is an excellent teacher in the classroom and has received the Regents Distinguished Teaching Award in 2011, the Panhellenic and Interfraternity Council Outstanding A & S Faculty Member in 2011, and the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence Award in 2013. He was also the undergraduate advisor for the Department of Chemistry from 1990 to 2014 and was named Outstanding Advisor in the College of Arts and Sciences in 2001 and 2006.