Mark Lautens obtained his B.Sc. (Distinction) from the University of Guelph in 1981 and his Ph.D. in 1985 working with Barry M. Trost (University of Wisconsin-Madison) where he discovered the Pd-enyne cyclization and Mo-catalyzed allylic alkylations.?He has held the AstraZeneca Chair in Organic Synthesis since 1998 and in addition is Merck Frosst/NSERC Industrial Research Chair since 2003.?He has held visiting Professorships in Paris, Geneva, Marburg, MPI Mülheim and Barcelona and was selected for an Alexander von Humboldt Award in 2009.?He has been also?selected as an A.P. Sloan Fellow, Eli Lilly Grantee, E.W.R. Steacie Fellow, A.C. Cope Scholar, A. Bader Award, R. Lemieux Award and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.?He was the 2011 Pedler Award winner for his discovery of useful new methodology for the construction of carbocycles and heterocyles and application of this in the synthesis of natural products and biologically active compounds.?He has published 270 articles, reviews and book chapters and given 350 lectures.