Dr. and Mrs. Lester Mitscher established the Mitscher Prize, which is awarded annually to a student who has excelled on his or her path to becoming a candidate for the doctorate in Medicinal Chemistry. Recipients for the prize are determined by a faculty committee, selected by the Chair of the Department of Medicinal Chemistry.

Jacob Immel is a 2019-2023 Self Graduate Fellow pursuing a Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Kansas. In 2018, he earned his B.S. in chemistry from Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, MO. After completing two summers of research at the University of Missouri as a Steven's Summer Research Fellow, Immel discovered his passion for research. Now he seeks to combine his love for chemistry with his passion to improve the quality of human life through the study of medicinal chemistry. His research investigates the development of new methods for synthesizing peptide therapeutics with the goal of treating small cell lung cancer. Immel hopes to lead a research group in the future that develops novel therapeutics for the advancement of human health.

Mentor: Steven Bloom, Assistant Professor, Medicinal Chemistry