Marvin Caruthers
Honorary degree
Through remarkable professional achievements and philanthropic contributions, Marvin Caruthers has created tremendous impact at CU Boulder, in the local community and throughout society. A distinguished professor of biochemistry, he joined the faculty in 1973, first in the Department of Chemistry and continuing later when Biochemistry became a division and ultimately an independent department.
Caruthers played a critical role in this academic evolution, with his scientific credentials and collaborative spirit proving pivotal in recruiting other DNA and RNA scientists to CU Boulder. Caruthers helped ignite the genomic revolution in biology and medicine by making critical advances in DNA synthesis. Without these advances, entire fields of research and classes of medicine would not exist today.
A generous, forward-thinking donor to CU Boulder, Caruthers’ contributions include a transformative gift to support the construction of the world-class Jennie Smoly Caruthers Biotechnology Building, named in memory of Caruthers’ late wife, a former adjunct professor in CU Boulder’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and researcher in the Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology department.
He is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 2006, he was awarded the National Medal of Science, the highest national honor bestowed on American scientists and engineers.