Rate My Professor Mary Cloninger

Mary Cloninger is a Professor of Bioorganic Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Montana State University. She earned a B.S. from Texas Christian University in 1991 and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin. Cloninger joined the faculty at Montana State University in 1999, advancing to full professor. She served as Head of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry for six years and directed the university’s National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates program for 17 years. Her service contributions encompass membership on numerous boards, advisory councils, and committees in the department and College of Letters and Science.

Cloninger’s research centers on multivalent associations in galectin/carbohydrate interactions within the field of Chemistry. Her interdisciplinary group, comprising organic chemists, biochemists, microbiologists, and analytical chemists, utilizes dendrimers to study protein-carbohydrate interactions implicated in immune response, cellular differentiation, growth, tumor formation, metastasis, and antimicrobial applications. Key efforts include examining galectin-3 mediated cancer cellular processes. Supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation, her internationally acclaimed research has produced more than 40 peer-reviewed publications. Representative works include: “Lactose-functionalized dendrimers arbitrate the interaction of galectin-3/MUC1 mediated cancer cellular aggregation” (ChemBioChem, 2014, 15, 2106-2112); “Cyclodextrin-Functionalized Chromatographic Materials Tailored for Reversible Adsorption” (ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2014, 6, 18087–97); “Glycodendrimers: tools to explore multivalent galectin-1 interactions” (Beilstein J. Org. Chem., 2015, 11, 739–747); “Glycodendrimers and Modified ELISAs: Tools to Elucidate Multivalent Interactions of Galectins 1 and 3” (Molecules, 2015, 20, 7059–7096); “Synthesis and Biological Activity of Highly Cationic Dendrimer Antibiotics” (Mol. Pharm., 2016, 13, 3827–3834); and “The Role of Galectin-1 in Cancer Progression, and Synthetic Multivalent Systems for the Study of Galectin-1” (Int. J. Mol. Sci., 2016, 17(9)). Among her honors are the Women in Science Distinguished Professor Award (2024), Spirit of Discovery Award (2024) from the Montana State University Honors College, and Iota Sigma Pi Members at Large Award. She is lauded as an exceptional teacher, prolific mentor to graduate and undergraduate students, tireless leader, and advocate for diversity, with frequent invited lectures at leading U.S. universities and participation in international conferences, workshops, and symposia.