Mark was born and raised in the west of Ireland, in Menlough County Galway. He received a Science Foundation Ireland UREKA (Undergraduate Research Experience & Knowledge Award) scholarship that facilitated his initial foray into research in the lab of Professor Lokesh Joshi at the National University of Ireland, Galway. While completing his undergra-duate degree, he carried out his thesis in the lab of Prof. Paul V. Murphy, and earned a 1st Class Honors Bachelors of Science degree in Chemistry in 2010. Mark was subsequently awarded an IRCSET Enterprise fellowship from Roche Ireland and began graduate studies in the group of Professor Murphy in the School of Chemistry at the National University of Ireland, Galway, where he investigated new methods towards the stereoselective synthesis of glycosidic linkages via Lewis acid induced anomerization. In 2014, Mark earned his Ph.D. and joined the lab of Prof. Amos B. Smith, III in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania as a Postdoctoral Fellow. His postdoctoral research involved the development of new Anion Relay Chemistry methods, and the design and synthesis of HIV-1 entry inhibitors. In the summer of 2017, Mark joined the Department of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Kansas as an Assistant Professor and the Director of Graduate studies.
Mark’s daughter Emilia, who is a bundle of fun and love, is currently in 3rd grade. She loves to dance, sing, play, and is rarely with without a smile on her face. Mark is a sports enthusiast, and enjoys watching hurling, rugby, American football, and baseball. On occasion, he can be found walking his dog, Richard, through downtown Lawrence.
The Farrell Lab 