On Mar. 27, 2006, The Priestley Medal was awarded to Paul S. Anderson by the American Chemical Society “to recognize distinguished services to chemistry,” the Society’s most prestigious award.

Thirty years after starting at Merck, Anderson moved to DuPont Pharmaceuticals in Wilmington, Del., where he served as senior vice president for chemical and physical sciences. Some seven years later, in 2001, he moved on again, this time to Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Wilmington research facility, where he was appointed vice president for drug discovery and site head. Anderson retired in 2002.

In addition to industry-related responsibilities, Anderson participated in various other professional activities. He served on the boards of directors of several chemical companies and the boards of the Chemical Heritage Foundation and the National Research Council.