Rate My Professor Warren Wood

Warren Wood is Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Portland. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy from the University of California, Berkeley, and his Bachelor of Science from Willamette University. Wood joined the University of Portland faculty in 2007 as an assistant professor, was granted tenure and promoted to associate professor in spring 2013, and advanced to full professor in 2024. His career at the institution spans teaching, research, and grant-funded projects in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

Wood teaches organic chemistry courses at the undergraduate level. He enjoys engaging students in the classroom and laboratory settings. His research specializations lie in organic synthesis and medicinal chemistry, with ongoing efforts directed toward the synthesis of compounds possessing antimalarial properties, including 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinones as potential inhibitors of PfNDH2 in Plasmodium falciparum. Wood's laboratory integrates undergraduate students into synthetic and biological evaluation projects. Key publications co-authored with students include '2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinones with 3-alkyldiarylether groups: synthesis and Plasmodium falciparum inhibitory activity' (Future Medicinal Chemistry, 2022, 14, 1611-1620), 'Sultam Thioureas: Synthesis and Antiviral Activity Against Respiratory Syncytial Virus' (Synlett, 2012), and 'Chemical Analysis of the Defensive Secretion from the Western Thatching Ant Formica obscuripes' (Journal of Chemical Ecology). To support this research, Wood has obtained major grants and awards: Moses Lake Industries Equipment Grant (2022), J. Murdock Charitable Trust Murdock College Research Program for Natural Sciences Grant (May 2015–June 2018), Arthur Butine Memorial Fund Research Grant (summers 2008–2012), Medical Research Foundation Research Grant (2009–2010), and M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust Research Start-Up Grant (2007–2012).