Westmont Grad is New Chemistry Professor

Makoto Masuno returns to Westmont as assistant professor of chemistry after graduating from the college in 1997. Masuno transferred to Westmont in 1995 as a junior and chose chemistry as his major, but admits he hadn’t completed a single college chemistry course when he arrived.

“As a student, I was pleasantly surprised at the culture at Westmont where both the professors and my fellow classmates earnestly wanted to help me,” Masuno says. “Now I’m in the position where my mentors are my colleagues, and I have the opportunity to mentor students.”

He says it was the assistance he received from fellow classmates and professors that planted a seed in his heart. “I want to promote students to help and encourage each other, so I designed a faith and science attitudinal program, which reminds students the importance of building a Christ-centered scientific community.”

After graduating from Westmont, Masuno worked as a scientist at Miravant Medical Technologies in Santa Barbara in the research and development department for about three years. He later earned his doctorate at UC Davis and taught a course at Sacramento City College. Masuno currently researches in the field of marine natural product chemistry, isolating and elucidating bioactive molecules that derive from sessile marine invertebrates; for instance, he investigates marine sponges that may biosynthesize a helpful pharmaceutical.

“I have the distinct pleasure of being able to look at God’s creation at the molecular level,” he says.