Remembering Dr. John L. Neumeyer.

Dr. Neumeyer served as Professor of Medicinal Chemistry in the School of Pharmacy from 1969-1991 and as Director of the Graduate School where he established the Ph.D. program in Pharmaceutical Sciences in the college. In 1981 he was named the first Matthews Distinguished Professor at Northeastern University. He subsequently served as Director of the Medicinal Chemistry Program of the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Center at McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

Among numerous awards, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Medicinal Chemistry Division of the American Chemical Society and was named the 2012 Outstanding Educator of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists.

A highly accomplished scientist, he was the author of nearly 400 hundred scientific articles, books, and book chapters, as well as recipient of multiple NIH, NSF, and other research grants and awards. His scientific accomplishments also include development of DATSCAN®, a commercially available radiopharmaceutical imaging agent for the diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease and related neurodegenerative disorders.

An important aspect of his multifaceted career was his role as cofounder of Research Biochemicals International (RBI) in 1980. RBI was the first company to provide the scientific community with probes to study drug receptors, thus setting the foundation for the tremendous ascension of drug discovery and development that occurred in the 1980-90s, the locus of which is now the Boston–Cambridge metro area. RBI, built from the fledgling operation John and his wife Evelyn started in their basement in Wayland, MA is now part of the international MilliporeSigma company.

In addition to being a dedicated family man, Dr. Neumeyer was also a beloved teacher and mentor, with a generosity of spirit, joy and kindness that is unmatched. He and Evelyn remained connected with and highly dedicated to Northeastern for more than 50 years, supporting students and faculty in their pursuit of excellence in education and science. The Neumeyers generously established two scholarships at Bouvé College of Health Sciences as well as a research achievement award that is awarded annually to a graduate student in the pharmaceutical sciences. They were honored at the 50th anniversary gala celebration of the Northeastern University School of Pharmacy in 2012.