novel chemotherapeutics. Barton, Erik Holmlin, Shana Kelley, and Mike Hill created the company GeneOhm Sciences to explore the development of sensitive diagnostics for detecting DNA mismatches. The company has since been acquired by BD Diagnostics. Barton has taught more than 100 graduate and postdoctoral students, many of whom are women. Recognized as a "superb role model, not just for young women but for all young scientists", Barton advises others that "the best thing that I can do for women in science is first to do good science". She became the Arthur and Marian Hanisch Memorial Professor of Chemistry in 1997. She was named chair of the Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering of California Institute of Technology, effective July 1, 2009. Barton has been a Member of the Board of Dow Chemical since 1993. She has also served on the Gilead Sciences Scientific Advisory Board (1989–2008) and recently became a member of Gilead's Board of Directors In 1990, she married Peter Dervan, a fellow chemist and professor at Caltech, who is also a National Medal of Science winner. She has two children, a daughter, Elizabeth (born in 1991), and a stepson Andrew. Research summary Barton introduced the application of transition metal complexes to probe recognition and reactions of double helical DNA. She has designed chiral metal complexes which mimic the properties of DNA-binding proteins, allowing other researchers the capability to simulate and analyze experiments in this nature. Barton additionally established that DNA charge transport chemistry is extremely sensitive to intervening perturbations in the DNA base stack, as with single base mismatches or lesions. This discovery has been a cornerstone for the development of DNA-based electrochemical sensors. Awards and honors Barton was awarded the National Medal of Science by Barack Obama in 2011, "For discovery of a new property of the DNA helix, long-range electron transfer, and for showing that electron transfer depends upon stacking of the base pairs and DNA dynamics. Her experiments reveal a strategy for how DNA repair proteins locate DNA lesions and demonstrate a biological role for DNA-mediated charge transfer." Other awards include: Alan T. Waterman Award of the National Science Foundation (1985), first woman recipient Fresenius Award from Phi Lambda Upsilon (1986), first woman recipient Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry by the American Chemical Society (1987) American Chemical Society Award in Pure Chemistry (1988), first woman recipient Mayor of New York's Award in Science and