George S. Wilson

Higuchi Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Chemistry

Associate Vice Provost for Research

gwilson@ku.edu

Office of the Vice Provost for Research
2385 Irving Hill Road
203 Youngberg Hall
Lawrence KS 66045

Telephone: 785-864-3475
Fax: 785-864-5272

Academic Department

Chemistry

Research Specialty

• Bioanalytical chemistry: structural effects on protein electron transfer, redox biochemistry, implantable biosensors, biological recognition as a tool for bioanalysis

Awards

• AAAS Fellow - 1985

Professional Memberships

• American Chemical Society
• Sigma Xi
• International Society of Electrochemistry
• Bioelectrochemical Society - Board of Directors
• Electrochemical Society (U.S.)

Professional Interactions

• American Chemical Society - Committee on Professional Training
• Gordon Research Conference on Bioanalytical Sensors, Chairman, 1993
• NIH Special Study Section 6, Chairman, 1999-2004.
• International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, Physical Chemistry Division, President, 2000-2001; Vice President, 1998-1999
• Biosensors and Bioelectronics - Editorial Board
• Portugaliae Electrochimica Acta, Advisory Board, 2000-

Degrees

• A.B., 1961, Princeton University
• Ph.D., 1965, University of Illinois
• Postdoctoral Fellow, 1965-1967, University of Illinois

For More Information

• George Wilson's page at the University of Kansas Department of Chemistry

Why Study at the University of Kansas?

Chemistry is a discipline that is central to all science and technology. Chemists seek to understand why and how reactions, involving the breaking and formation of bonds, take place. Understanding of the relationship between the structure of a molecule and its reactivity is the basis for the design of new compounds and the creation of new materials with unique properties. My research deals with the development of methods for characterizing species in real time in complex biological media, known as bioanalytical chemistry. This has led, in turn, to the development of biosensors capable of selectively recognizing a particular molecule in biological fluids, for example, the continuous monitoring of blood glucose in diabetic patients or the study of energy utilization in the brain of laboratory animals. The information is valuable in understanding the “how” of biological reactions.

Learning the language of chemistry is not sufficient. It is necessary to speak and practice it. The University of Kansas environment provides a unique opportunity to apply bioanalytical chemistry to problems in environmental assessment, clinical diagnostic tests, and real-time monitoring of neurobiological processes through collaborations with fellow chemists and those in the pharmaceutical sciences and engineering. First hand experience with multidisciplinary problems is excellent preparation for a career in chemistry.