Professor Vichai Reutrakul serves as the director of the Center of Excellence for Innovation in Chemistry, overseeing a consortium of 13 universities dedicated to enhancing Thailand’s capabilities in chemical and pharmaceutical sciences. Beyond this role, he is an advisor to the Royal Golden Jubilee PhD Program of the Thailand Research Fund and a scientific advisor to the International Foundation for Science. Currently, he holds the position of deputy chairman at the Office of the Higher Education Commission in Thailand. Professor Reutrakul’s research is divided into two main areas: organofluorine chemistry and bioassay-guided natural product isolation.
His team has developed innovative methods in electrophilic difluoro(phenylthio)methylation and fluoroalkylation, while their natural product chemistry focus involves plants like Dasymaschalon and Garcinia, exploring their cytotoxic, anti-HIV, and anti-inflammatory properties. His multifaceted contributions highlight his commitment to advancing scientific research and education in Thailand.