Holden Thorp

Holden Thorp
Provost ofWashington University in St. Louis
In office July 1, 2013(2013-07-01)– July 15, 2019
Preceded by	Edward S. Macias
Succeeded by	Beverly R. Wendland
10th Chancellor of theUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
In office July 1, 2008 – June 30, 2013
Preceded by	James Moeser
Succeeded by	Carol Folt
Personal details
Born	Herbert Holden Thorp (1964-08-16)August 16, 1964 Fayetteville, North Carolina
Spouse	Patti Thorp
Children	2
Residence(s)	St. Louis,Missouri, U.S.
Alma mater	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill California Institute of Technology
Profession	College administrator,chemist
Website	artsci.wustl.edu/holden-thorp

Herbert Holden Thorp(born August 16, 1964) is an Americanchemist,professorandentrepreneur.He is a professor of chemistry atGeorge Washington University.He was the tenthchancellorof theUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,assuming the position on July 1, 2008, succeedingJames Moeser,and, at age 43, was noted as being among the youngest leaders of a university in the United States.At the time of his selection as chancellor, Thorp was thedeanof the College of Arts and Sciences and a Kenan Professor of chemistry at the university. Thorp is a 1986 graduate of UNC; he later earned aPh.D.in chemistry fromCalifornia Institute of Technology,and was a postdoctoral associate atYale University.

In September 2012, Thorp announced his intention to resign following allegations of academic fraud, effective from June 30, 2013, and to return to teaching in the chemistry department at UNC, following a scandal involving the NCAA.Shortly thereafter, in February 2013, he announced his decision to leave the university to take up the job of provost atWashington University in St. Louis.He took over as provost on July 1, 2013, replacing Edward Macias. Thorp stepped down as the provost of Washington University in St. Louis on July 15, 2019.

On August 19, 2019, Thorp was announced as the new editor-in-chief ofSciencemagazine.He continues to hold the Rita Levi-Montalcini Distinguished University Professorship of Chemistry and Medicine at Washington University.In 2023, he became a Professor of Chemistry atGeorge Washington University.

Early life and education

Thorp's father, Herbert Holden "Herb" Thorp (d. 1996), was a native ofRocky Mount, North Carolina.He was an attorney who earned an undergraduate degree from UNC in 1954 and a law degree, also from UNC, in 1956.His mother, Olga "Bo" Thorp (néeBernardin, 1933—2022),a 1956 UNC graduate, was a native ofColumbia, South Carolina.Her parents wereItalianimmigrants who died when she was 15.Both of Thorp's parents were involved in creating Fayetteville Little Theater, now known as the Cape Fear Regional Theater, in 1962.Herb Thorp was its first president, and Bo Thorp was its creative director for 50 years until stepping down in April 2012.

Thorp's parents moved toFayetteville, North Carolina,in 1960and Thorp was born there on August 16, 1964. He spent much of his youth involved with the theater, performing in productions led by his mother, and met his future wife, Patti Worden, in 1974 at the theater.He attended St. Patrick Catholic School, aprivatemiddle school.He is remembered as a good student who finished the algebra textbook by Thanksgiving, and a geometry book the following Easter.

In summer 1981, at age 17, while studyingguitaratBerklee College of Musicin Boston, Thorp won first place and a $500 prize in a northeast regional competition to solve aRubik's Cubepuzzle.His motivation for entering the competition was to earn money to buyjazzrecords.Winning the competition also earned him a trip to the national competition, which was shown on the television programThat's Incredible!.He came fifth in the national competition and won first place again in a regional competition the following year, inCharlotte, North Carolina.

After graduating fromTerry Sanford High Schoolin 1982,Thorp attended the only university he had applied to, the University of North Carolina.He was apre-medicalstudent initially, and later turned to chemistry and academia, earning a BS degree in 1986. He completed doctoral work in three years instead of the normal five at theCalifornia Institute of Technologyin 1989, earning aPh.D.underHarry B. Grayat the age of 24.He completed post-doctoral work with Gary Brudvig atYalein 1990.

In 1991, Thorp began teaching as an associate professor of chemistry atNorth Carolina State University.

Research and entrepreneurship

Thorp was awarded aPresidential Young Investigator Awardin 1991 by theNational Science Foundation,which provided $100,000 of research funding annually for five years.Later that year, he was one of 20 people awarded a grant by theDavid and Lucile Packard Foundation;the $500,000 fellowship was for research on compounds used in genetic therapy. Both grants were for research to developcancerandAIDSdrugs as alternatives tochemotherapy.

In 1996, Thorp co-founded thebiotechnologycompany Alderaan Diagnostics, later renamed Xanthon, Inc., to commercialize a technology he co-developed. The technology involved using electricity to test compounds that could later become new drugs. It was intended to turn a process that previously took months into an electronic process that would instead take hours. In 2001, Thorp was recognized byFortune Small Businessas a Small Business Innovator for the work that led to the founding of the company.Xanthon raised several rounds ofventure capital,totaling $25 million, before closing in 2002, after technical glitches had delayed release of its commercial product and it could not find further funding.

In 2005, Thorp co-founded Viamet Pharmaceuticals, another biotechnology company, to develop treatments for cancer and other diseases.It raised $4 million in venture capital funding in 2007, and an additional $18 million in 2009.He is no longer involved in the operation of the company.

Thorp is a member of the scientific advisory board of Ohmx, a biotechnology firm based on technology developed by his doctoral mentor, Harry B. Gray.He was previously a venture partner at Hatteras Venture Partners, co-founded by his brother Clay.He gave up that role after being named chancellor of UNC in 2008, and his equity stake in the firm was transferred to ablind trust.

Thorp is a member of theUNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

University of North Carolina

Thorp returned to hisalma materin 1993 to teach, rising from visiting assistant professor to professor in six years.In 1998, he received a Tanner Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.

In 2001, Thorp became the director of theMorehead Planetarium,part of UNC. That fall, he co-led a student focus group responsible for exploring and providing feedback on the university's consideration of a branch campus of theKenan–Flagler Business SchoolinQatar.In 2005, he was named a Kenan Professor and chair of the chemistry department of the College of Arts and Sciences.He led the 2005 committee that selected the book as recommended reading for that fall's incoming freshmen,Blood Done Sign My Name:A True Story,by a North Carolina nativeTimothy B. Tyson.

He became the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in 2007, after a nationwide search.A year later, he was named chancellor of the University after being nominated byErskine Bowles,president of theUniversity of North Carolina System,and unanimously chosen by the Board of Governors.

In 2013, Thorp resigned from the position of chancellor amid allegations of widespread academic fraud, which were later outlined in the Wainstein Report.The Wainstein Report describes the findings of an independent investigation conducted by the former federal prosecutor Kenneth Wainstein. It describes abuses spanning over 18 years, which included "no-show" classes that had little to no faculty oversight. Approximately half of those enrolled in these classes were athletes.

Music

Beginning with his first theater appearance at age 3 inCarnival!,Thorp has been involved with many aspects of performance. He worked in lighting for productions at the theater company directed by his mother and later took on the music. He took piano and guitar lessons and formed a garage band as a teenager.While doing post-doctoral work, he wrote some music for theYale Cabaretand a musical production for the River Renaissance on theCape Fear River.He has written several musicals and has played piano with his local church.He has also played with Equinox, a local jazz band.

In 1998, Thorp was the musical director for a performance ofThe Sound of Music,in which his wife playedMaria von Trapp,and as a result, missed the ceremony at which the Tanner award recipients were recognized.

Awards and publications

Thorp was named a Distinguished Young Alumnus in 2002 by the UNC General Alumni Association.

In 2010, Thorp and Buck Goldstein wrote a book on entrepreneurship calledEngines of Innovation,in which they insist that the world's biggest problems can be solved through innovation at large research universities. They also created a website to encourage innovation on college campuses.

Personal

Thorp has been married to Patti Worden since 1991.They have two children.

External links

• UNC Office of the Chancellor