Stephen Kent received his first two university degrees in his native New Zealand and his Ph.D. (Organic Chemistry) from University of California, Berkeley. Subsequently, he held faculty appointments at the Rockefeller University, the California Institute of Technology, and The Scripps Research Institute. In 2001, he joined the faculty of the University of Chicago, where since June 2021 he is Professor Emeritus. The Kent research group pioneered the total synthesis of protein molecules based on modern chemical ligation methods. His chemical ligation concept and the widely used native chemical ligation reaction has made enzymes and other proteins readily accessible to direct investigation using the tools of chemistry. Kent’s scientific research has been recognized by his receipt of two national awards of the American Chemical Society, the Prelog Medal, the Protein Society’s Kaiser Award, the Lorne Symposium Leach Medal, and awards of the American, European, Japanese, and Italian Peptide Societies.