It is with great pleasure that we announce Professor David O'Hagan, from the University of St Andrews, UK, as the winner of the NPR Lecture Award 2009.

Professor O'Hagan was selected in recognition of his work on natural product biosynthesis, in particular the biosynthesis of fluorinated natural products. A former chair of the NPR Editorial Board, Professor O'Hagan's long-term support of the journal was also highly valued by the judges. 

Professor O'Hagan will deliver his lecture, entitled 'Enzymatic C-F bond formation. The fluorinase, has it biotechnological prospects?', at the Zing Natural Products Conference 2009, to be held in the Jolly Beach Resort, Bolans Village, Antigua, from 1st-4th March 2009.  

'I feel honoured to receive the NPR Lecture Prize for 2009,' says Professor O'Hagan. 'The Editorial Board are an extremely committed group of internationally leading researchers. They meet regularly and use all of their powers to encourage the very best authors and articles. Their dedication and that of the authors is potent and impressive and often lasts for many years. I value my involvement with NPR and the Editorial Office. I particularly thank Tom Simpson for getting me involved, Vikki Allen, the Editor, and Marcel Jaspers, the Chair of the Editorial Board.' 

NPR sponsors a lecture each year at an international meeting. The recipient will have made a significant research contribution to natural products chemistry in its broadest sense, and will have published in or have had some affiliation to the journal. The award is open to anyone fitting these criteria.