Brown was a devoted mentor and research advisor. A pioneer in the field of intermediary metabolism, he was legendary for teaching intermediary metabolism without any notes. He studied how living systems carry out chemical reactions in order to survive, primarily focusing on the enzymatic synthesis of several B vitamins. He is best known for his work on the biosynthesis of folic acid and related compounds both in microorganisms and in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, publishing over 100 research papers in his career.

Photo credit: Donna Coveney