Dr. Victor E. Marquez was born in Venezuela in 1943 and became a naturalized US citizen in 1989. Graduated with a BS degree in Pharmacy from the Central University of Venezuela (1966) and received MS (1968) and Ph.D. (1970) degrees in Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Michigan. After one-year of postdoctoral studies at the NCI/NIH, Dr. Marquez returned to Venezuela as Research Director of Cosmos Laboratories. In 1977, he rejoined the NCI as a Visiting Scientist, and from 1999 to 2009 became Chief of the Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry. Dr. Marquez retired as Scientist Emeritus after 32 years of service and during his career he authored or co-authored 408 research publications. In 2008 Dr. Marquez was named Maryland Chemist of the year and in 2010 he was inducted into the Medicinal Chemistry Hall of Fame. Dr. Marquez is married to Beatriz Castillo de Marquez, former Engineering student at the University of Michigan. They have four children, Victor Henrique, Gonzalo Alberto, Adriana Maria, and Daniela Virginia, three of them University of Michigan alumni.