Kishi was born in Nagoya, Japan and attended
Nagoya University, where he obtained both his BS and PhD degrees. He was a
postdoctoral research fellow at
Harvard University where he worked with
Robert Burns Woodward. Kishi's research focused on the total synthesis of complex
natural products. The accomplishments of his research group include the
total syntheses of
palytoxin,
mycolactones,
halichondrins,
saxitoxin,
tetrodotoxin,
geldanamycin,
batrachotoxin and many others. Kishi also contributed to the development of new chemical reactions including the
Nozaki–Hiyama–Kishi reaction. Kishi's total synthesis of
halichondrin B was pivotal for the discovery and development of the anticancer drug
eribulin. ==Recognition==