H. Boyd Woodruff

From his earliest days as a scientist, H. Boyd Woodruff has been interested in useful natural products produced by microorganisms. Working first as a student and later as a colleague of Nobel Laureate Selman A. Waksman RC'15, Woodruff's doctoral studies resulted in the discovery of Actinomycin, the first actinomycete antibiotic. This development sparked a revolution in world medicine and agriculture by illustrating that microbially produced substances could kill human pathogens. Woodruff's work helped inspire the development of major screening programs leading to the discovery of many more antibiotics for human and animal use. His list of accomplishments in microbiology is lengthy, and throughout his career he has maintained a lifelong commitment to learning, teaching, and Rutgers. In 2000, he and his wife established a graduate fellowship in microbiology at Rutgers, and they support an undergraduate scholarship fund as well. Woodruff is a member of the President's Council. The Theobold Smith Society, the New Jersey branch of the American Society for Microbiology, presented Woodruff with its Waksman Award in 2007. During his years at Rutgers, his distinguished career in the industry, and now in active retirement, Woodruff has both ennobled our past and inspired our future.