Lawrence Duffy is a veteran chemical scientist and educator, a long time Fellow of The American Institute of Chemists, and an active member of the Editorial Review Board of The Chemist. He received his BS in chemistry from Fordham University in 1969 and an MS in organic chemistry from the University of Alaska in 1971. Following three years of service in the US Navy, Lieutenant he returned to the University of Alaska and completed his PhD degree in biochemistry in 1977. After several years of research at Boston University, the Roche Institute of Molecular Biology, the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, and Harvard Medical School, he returned to the University of Alaska where he has held numerous administrative positions and continues to teach biochemistry, general chemistry and research ethics. While at Harvard Medical School, worked with noted neuroscientist. Denis Selkoe on elucidating the structure of Alzheimer’s amyloid. On returning to the University of Alaska Fairbanks, he continued his amyloid studies using synthetic peptides to characterize their neurotoxicity in collaboration with neuroscientists Bruce Yankner and Dan Kirchner. He additionally initiated studies on the effect of the extreme seasonality of the far north by studying melatonin diurnal cycles in both humans and their companion sled dogs. Working with environmental and wildlife biologists, He introduced the use of common human biomarkers into the studies of mammals impacted by the Exxon Valdez oil spill. His studies demonstrate that chronic exposure can be measured biochemically in mammals, not only showing damage to a resource, but also demonstrating recovery of ecosystems.