George McLendon

Who is George McLendon?

George McLendon is the Howard R. Hughes Provost and Professor of Chemistry at Rice University. McLendon holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at El Paso and a doctorate from Texas A&M University. He assumed the role of provost in 2010 after serving as Dean of Trinity College of Arts and Science at Duke University. Prior to his tenure at Duke, McLendon was the R.W. Moore Professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry at Princeton University.

McLendon’s research is focused on inorganic and physical biochemistry. He has published over 200 peer reviewed papers and received national research awards, including the American Chemistry Society Pure Chemistry Award, the Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry, Sloan Dreyfus Award, and Guggenheim Fellowships. His publications range from solar nanotechnology to cell death pathways. His most recent research has direct implications for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and other diseases. He has been involved in launching several biotech startups, including Tetralogic Pharmaceuticals.

As provost, McLendon outlined a broad strategy called "The Rice Initiatives."