Rodney Parsons

Executive Director Chemical and Synthesis Developm at Bristol-Meyers Squibb, USA

Dr. Rodney Parsons earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1986 from Trinity College and then received his Ph.D. in 1992 from University of Vermont under the guidance of Professor Martin E. Kuehne. His doctoral studies were focused on development of novel routes for the construction of indole alkaloids, specifically the total synthesis of Strychnine. He then carried out postdoctoral studies in organic chemistry with Professor Clayton H. Heathcock at University of California at Berkeley. In 1994 he joined the Dupont-Merck Pharmaceutical Co. as a Research Scientist where he rose to the rank of Director. In 2001 he joined Bristol-Myers Squibb after the acquisition of the DuPont Pharmaceuticals Co. where he is currently an Executive Director in the Chemical Process Development Department. He has been involved with drug development programs in several therapeutic areas including virology, cardiovascular, oncology and immunology diseases. His research interests include pharmaceutical process R&D, asymmetric synthesis, heterocyclic chemistry, and natural products total synthesis. He has been the Mutagenic Impurity Assessment Committee (MIAC) Chair for BMS since 2006. On the MIAC he leads a BMS R&D wide committee to establish control strategies for mutagenic and nitrosamine impurities for all our products and aligns BMS internal practices with the evolving Health Authority regulations. He has published over 50 papers and patents in these areas.