Department of Chemistry
Date August 26, 2025
All News

Remembering Russell "Russ" Hopson

By Brown Chemistry Department

It is with heavy hearts that we share that Russ Hopson, NMR Supervisor and well-respected member of the Brown Chemistry staff, died of glioblastoma in July 2025.

A memorial service and celebration of life will be held on Saturday, October 25, 2025, at 3pm at the First Unitarian Church of Providence, located at 1 Benevolent Street, Providence, RI 02906. All are welcome. Street parking will be available. Please allow enough time to walk a few blocks. Leave your typical funeral attire at home - casual dress and bright colors are encouraged, including cool t-shirts, and/or dressing as if you were going for an autumn walk in the woods or out to hear or make music with friends. For those unable to attend in-person, the service is scheduled to be live streamed on the YouTube Channel for the First Unitarian Church of Providence:  https://www.youtube.com/@firstunitarianchurchofprov3245 

Russ's obituary can be found on the Monahan Drabble Sherman website and this link:  https://www.mkds.com/obituaries/Russell-Hopson?obId=45836224#/obituaryInfo

 

Russel Hopson

Russ joined the staff of the Chemistry Department in December 2003 and his impact was immediate. Russ received a BS in chemistry from George Mason University in 1993 and received his Ph.D degree in 2000 from Northeastern University. His doctoral thesis was entitled “Synthesis and characterization of a selectively modified triple helix stabilizing ligand for use as an antigene agent”. Over his years at Brown, Russ continued to develop and share his technical expertise with generations of scientists. Russ was an enthusiastic and effective teacher. 

He taught an advanced chemistry course, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, for several semesters, earning excellent teaching reviews. As NMR supervisor, he patiently trained hundreds of graduate and undergraduate researchers to use NMR to advance their research and helped many develop advanced skill sets. These efforts led to Russ being a co-author on several publications with his colleagues at Brown. Russ worked constantly to upgrade the department’s NMR instrumentation and to provide modern, cutting-edge capabilities to our researchers. He successfully spearheaded several grant proposals to purchase NMR equipment and spectrometers. 

Russ is survived by his wife Kate and children Lydia and Tate.