Renowned Purdue drug discovery scholar Philip Low to give summer commencement address

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Philip Low, Purdue’s Presidential Scholar for Drug Discovery and the Ralph C. Corley Distinguished Professor of Chemistry in the College of Science, will deliver the address at Purdue’s two summer commencement ceremonies Aug. 9 at Elliott Hall of Music.

Low (rhymes with “now”) is a prolific innovator, holding 101 U.S.-issued patents through the Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization. He has co-founded seven companies to bring his discoveries to market and recently formed and funded the Low Institute for Therapeutics to accelerate the transfer of his laboratory’s most promising discoveries into human use. He also serves as a faculty member in the Purdue Institute for Drug Discovery and the Purdue Institute for Cancer Research.

In recognition of his groundbreaking contributions to human health, Low has received numerous prestigious honors, including the Outstanding Achievement in Chemistry in Cancer Research award from the American Association for Cancer Research, the George and Christine Sosnovsky Award for Cancer Research and the Gustavus John Esselen Award for Chemistry in the Public Interest from the American Chemical Society, the Legacy Award from the American Lung Association, and a MERIT Award from the National Institutes of Health. For his vital work at Purdue, he was also awarded the Order of the Griffin, one of the university’s highest honors.

Low earned a BS in chemistry from Brigham Young University in 1971 and a PhD in biochemistry from the University of California, San Diego, in 1975.

Commencement division dates and times

The summer 2025 ceremonies will recognize the achievements of 1,725 graduates, including 612 undergraduates, 1,104 graduate students and nine students from Purdue Polytechnic Institute’s statewide programs.

Purdue President Mung Chiang will attend both ceremonies, and each ceremony will feature a student responder.

Division I: Saturday, Aug. 9, 9:30 a.m. —

• College of Agriculture
• College of Education
• College of Engineering
• College of Veterinary Medicine
• Mitch Daniels School of Business
• Joint and special programs

Division II: Saturday, Aug. 9, 2:30 p.m. —

• College of Health and Human Sciences
• College of Liberal Arts
• College of Pharmacy
• College of Science
• Purdue Polytechnic Institute

Admission tickets required

Doors to Elliott Hall of Music will open 90 minutes before each ceremony, and tickets are required for entry. Each graduation candidate may request up to four tickets. Only clear bags or small clutch bags are permitted in Elliott Hall, and all bags will be checked. More information can be found at the Commencement FAQs webpage. The ceremonies will be livestreamed from the Purdue News YouTube channel and linked on the Purdue commencement website before each ceremony begins.

Hickman and Park to give student responses

Katelyn Hickman of Lafayette, Indiana, who is to receive a dual Bachelor of Science in marketing and business management from the Mitch Daniels School of Business, will be the student responder in the Saturday morning (Division I) ceremony. Hickman transferred to Purdue after one year at Ivy Tech Community College. While at Purdue, she served as director of marketing for the Purdue Marketing Association and was a dedicated member of Purdue Musical Organizations’ Heart & Soul choir. She gained valuable professional experience through internships at The Dauch Center; JPMorgan Chase in Columbus, Ohio; and the Office of the President Pro Tempore, Rodric Bray, in the Indiana State Senate. After graduation, Hickman will attend the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.

Christopher Park of Atlanta, who is to receive a Bachelor of Science in computer and information technology from the Purdue Polytechnic Institute, will be the student responder in the Saturday afternoon (Division II) ceremony. Park served as director of Computing Challenge Day 2024, a student representative on the Faculty Teaching Award Committee, and was a board member and webmaster for Purdue Information Technology Professionals. He was a teaching assistant for various computer and information technology courses and volunteered as a student facilitator for Civic Engagement and Leadership Development’s service day. After graduation, Park will continue at Purdue in pursuit of a premedical degree.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research university leading with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities in the United States, Purdue discovers, disseminates and deploys knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 107,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, locations and modalities, including more than 58,000 at our main campus in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 14 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its comprehensive urban expansion, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.