University professors are supposed to teach, carry out research, and perform professional and community service. For over 50 years, first at Brooklyn Polytech and then at UCSD, Professor Murray Goodman did not simply fulfill each requirement; he excelled at each and every one of them! Not only was Murray an outstanding classroom lecturer, but he also trained over 80 Ph.D's, over 100 postdoctoral students and hosted in his laboratories over 50 visiting scientists from around the world. Just this past spring, his distinguished teaching was applauded with the UCSD Chancellor's Associates Outstanding Teaching Award.
Murray Goodman's research accomplishments and contributions to the fields of organic, polymer, and the biochemistry of peptides and peptidomimetics are formidable and have resulted in over 500 scientific publications. As a leader in his chosen field, Murray also authored textbooks and monographs, led the international peptide society, and served for decades as editor-in-chief of the leading journal in his field, “Biopolymers”. He was a sought after consultant to the chemical and pharmaceutical industries and played key roles in many biotech startups using his peptide chemistry to create new drugs. For his outstanding research and professional service, Murray received numerous awards including the American Chemical Society's Hirschmann, Cope Scholar, and Hermann Mark Awards, just to name a few.
Despite all of his professional commitments, most significantly, Murray Goodman led his community - in fact - all of his communities. For example, he was very involved with the Jewish community and Hillel and served as President of the Beth El Synagogue which he was instrumental in establishing and building in La Jolla.
At UCSD, Murray Goodman mentored younger faculty like ourselves, he led the Organic Chemistry Division, he chaired the Chemistry Department for two terms, and he served as Provost of Revelle College when Paul Saltman became Vice Chancellor. Murray was elected to be Chair of the Faculty Academic Senate and served with distinction, and he helped lead the founding of the Faculty Club which was so critical to creating community at UCSD, and he served as its president.
