Dr. Bill Baker is a Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Chemistry in the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of South Florida. He is being honored for his contributions to the field of natural products chemistry, particularly for studies of the chemical ecology of Antarctic ecosystems and discovery of new chemical entities for the treatment of human disease. He obtained his BS in chemistry from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. His marine-focused graduate work was done at the University of Hawaii followed by postdoctoral research at Rice University and Stanford University. He joined USF in 2001. His research interests in marine natural products chemistry have taken him all over the globe in search of samples, including more than a dozen research expeditions to Antarctica.