Richard Bunce
Regents Professor of Chemistry
2020
Dr. Bunce earned his B.S. degree magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa in Chemistry from
Marietta College (Marietta, Ohio) in 1975 and his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from
the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1981. From 1981-1983, he was a National Institutes
of Health Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California-Berkeley. Dr. Bunce
joined the faculty at Oklahoma State University in Fall 1983. His research interests
include mechanistic organic chemistry, the development of new synthetic approaches
to heterocyclic compounds, and the synthesis of medicinal agents. For the past 5 years,
he has been working on several projects to prepare and develop new anticancer and
antibiotic agents. He has trained 5 postdocs, 16 Ph.D. students, 6 M.S. students
and 80 undergraduate researchers, and his published work includes over 150 papers
and 6 patents. In recognition of his research accomplishments, Dr. Bunce received
the Sigma Xi Lectureship Award in 2007, the Oklahoma Chemist of the Year Award in
2009, and the Regents Distinguished Research Award in 2012. Dr. Bunce is an excellent
teacher in the classroom and has received the Regents Distinguished Teaching Award
in 2011, the Panhellenic and Intrafraternity Council Outstanding A & S Faculty Member
in 2011 and the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence Award in 2013. Dr. Bunce was also
the undergraduate advisor for the Department of Chemistry from 1990-2014 and was named
Outstanding Advisor in the College of Arts and Sciences in 2001 and 2006. He is now
the faculty co-advisor for undergraduates in the department. Finally, he has been
active in many student programs on campus [OSU's American Chemical Society Student
Affiliate Group, the Student Osteopathic Medicine Association, Camp Cowboy (Cowboy
Call-out Award, 2011) and Faculty Associate program].
