Richard Taylor is currently Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of York, where his research focuses on the development of novel synthetic methodology and the synthesis of natural products and related compounds of biological/medicinal interest. The methodology is concentrated primarily on organometallic, organosulfur and oxidation processes and the targets include, amino acids, carbohydrates, prostaglandins, and polyene and polyoxygenated natural products, particularly with activity as antibiotics and anti-cancer agents. Richard Taylor is a graduate and postgraduate of the University of Sheffield, and he then carried out postdoctoral research at Syntex, California (Dr. I. T. Harrison) and University College London (Professor F. Sondheimer). His first academic appointment was at the Open University in Milton Keynes. This post gave Professor Taylor the opportunity to contribute to Open University textbooks, radio programmes and television productions on various aspects of organic chemistry. Professor Taylor then moved to UEA, Norwich where he established his independent research programme,before taking up his present position in York in 1993. Richard Taylor is the current President of the Organic Division of the Royal Society of Chemistry and was awarded the 1999 RSC Tilden Lectureship and the 1999 RSC Heterocyclic Prize. He is currently the UK Regional Editor of the international journal Tetrahedron.