Graham Richards
English chemist
Died when: 85 years 133 days (1024 months)Star Sign: Libra
(William) Graham Richards CBE FRS FRSC CChem (born 1 October 1939) was a chemist and Emeritus Fellow of Brasenose College, Oxford.He served as head of the department of chemistry at the University of Oxford from 1997 to 2006.
Richards is a pioneer in the field of computer-aided molecular design, in particular its application to the pharmaceuticals industry.He was the founding scientist of Oxford Molecular Ltd., and introduced a novel model for the funding of research at Oxford University, which has been copied elsewhere.
Richards was one of the scientific co-founders of Oxford Molecular Limited (OMG).The company developed software for modelling of small molecules and proteins, and drug design.
Benefiting from the economic and legal changes, the company was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1992, making the university £10 million.
The company was worth £450 million at its peak but was eventually sold for £70 million.Richards has published more than 300 scientific papers, including 15 books.
