Yoshito Kishi (岸 義人) was a Japanese chemist who was the Morris Loeb Professor of Chemistry at Harvard University. He was known for his contributions to the sciences of organic synthesis and total synthesis.

Early life and education

Kishi was born in Nagoya, Japan and attended Nagoya University, where he obtained both his BS and PhD degrees. He was a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard University where he worked with Robert Burns Woodward. From 1966 through 1974, he was a professor of chemistry at Nagoya University. Since 1974, Kishi had been a professor of chemistry at Harvard University. Kishi's research has focused on the total synthesis of complex natural products. The accomplishments of his research group include the total syntheses of palytoxin, mycolactones, halichondrins, saxitoxin, tetrodotoxin, geldanamycin, batrachotoxin and many others. Kishi has also contributed to the development of new chemical reactions including the Nozaki–Hiyama–Kishi reaction.

Recognition