William Chain received his B.S. degree in Chemistry from the Pennsylvania State University in 2001. At Penn State, he conducted research in the laboratories of Professor Blake R. Peterson studying the synthesis of ribonucleoside analogues. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 2006. Under the guidance of Professor Andrew G. Myers, he developed protocols for the stereocontrolled construction of quaternary carbon centers by the alkylation of disubstituted pseudoephedrine amide enolates. He then moved to Princeton University to begin postdoctoral studies with Professor Erik J. Sorensen. At Princeton, he worked on the total synthesis of maoecrystal V, a potent and selective HeLa cell inhibitor. In the fall of 2009, he joined the faculty at the University of Hawai’i as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry.