Murray Goodman, 75; Headed UC San Diego Chemistry Department

Murray Goodman, 75, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UC San Diego who helped advance the field of peptide chemistry, died of pneumonia June 1 in Munich, Germany, while on a lecture tour.

Goodman began his work in peptide chemistry -- the synthesis and analysis of compounds that mimic important biological molecules -- when it was an emerging science in the 1950s. He published nearly 500 scientific papers and, according to his colleagues, his research influenced fundamental chemical science and the pharmaceutical industry.

Born in New York City, Goodman received a bachelor’s degree from Brooklyn College in 1950 and earned his doctorate three years later from UC Berkeley. He joined the UC San Diego faculty in 1970 and served as head of the chemistry department for six years.

He recently was honored with an endowed professorship in his name, the Goodman Chair in Chemistry.