Title: Researcher
Company: Photoprotective Technologies
Location: San Antonio, Texas, United States
Mark Andrew Penick, Researcher at Photoprotective Technologies, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Scientists for dedication, achievements, and leadership in Chemistry.
Dr. Penick, whose extensive career as a chemicals professional dates back to the 1980s, has garnered tremendous success and expertise as a leading authority in his work. Most recently, he was a researcher at PhotoProtective Technologies, a global leader in blue-light filtration based in Houston. From 2012 to 2017, Dr. Penick focused on making molecules for ice-gripping plastics. During his tenure with the organization, he also focused on researching better ways to make sunglasses by studying the PPT produced by melanin that protects the eyes against violet and blue light.
Before his work at PhotoProtective Technologies, Dr. Penick was a faculty member at the University of Texas at San Antonio, where he was an organic chemistry laboratory instructor from 2001 to 2005. Drawing significant success from his academic tenure, he thoroughly enjoyed mentoring the next generation of professionals in the sciences.
Between 1996 and 2000, Dr. Penick worked as a process chemist at ILEX Oncology, involved in drug discovery and pilot plant production. The drug development company is based in Houston and aims to assist small cancer drug companies in bringing their candidates to the market. Earlier, Dr. Penick was a chemist at GD Searle & Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Pfizer, from 1989 to 1995, where he was active in drug discovery and became instrumental in developing high blood pressure medications for patients.
A graduate of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, Dr. Penick acquired a Master of Science in organic chemistry in 1989. Years later, he returned to college and earned a Doctor of Philosophy in chemistry at the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2011. His educational background has been instrumental in his success throughout his distinguished tenure.
Dr. Penick has been affiliated with the American Chemical Society, a leading industry organization that has enabled him to remain at the forefront of his professional community and network with like-minded individuals. As a seasoned researcher, he has also contributed to several professional publications as an expert in his field, including articles and abstracts in Medicinal Chemistry Research, Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters, and the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology.
As a leading authority in the chemicals sector, Dr. Penick secured a U.S. patent for a polymer composition for traction on ice in 2007 alongside co-inventor Tom Hibler and with the assistance of the University of San Antonio. This patent resulted in developing a product called Ice Grips and, subsequently, the company Ice Grips Inc., which resulted from combining unique properties of a plastic chemical polymer that they developed during his doctoral studies. Commercializing the polymers, the two were able to add traction by making shoe soles and tires that would not slide on ice, thus keeping users safe from unforeseen accidents.
Throughout his career, Dr. Penick has also enjoyed several other notable accomplishments, including one that involved a project in collaboration with two research groups to develop a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. The successful drug, Celebrex, only required the use of two readily available materials, which streamlined the process.
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