William DeGrado (California, 1955) is one of the most influential chemists of recent decades, thanks to his contributions to protein research. After graduating in chemistry from Kalamazoo College in Michigan in 1978 and receiving his PhD in organic chemistry from the University of Chicago in 1981, DeGrado began his career as a researcher at the multinational chemical company DuPont. After spending a few years at the University of Pennsylvania, he relocated his laboratory to the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). DeGrado transformed the world of chemistry by introducing protein «de novo design», a discipline in which he proved in 1978 that proteins could be designed from scratch. This milestone had significant practical implications, opening up a world of possibilities in biotechnology and biomedicine. In 2020, a de novo designed protein was used to significantly improve the treatment of multiple myeloma, marking the first time such a protein had reached clinical trials. Since then, there have been further successful advances using de novo engineered proteins, including antibiotics and an antiviral for treating influenza and SARS-CoV-2. Last summer, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Valencia. During this event, we discussed his career, the challenges that chemistry and de novo protein design will hopefully overcome in the near future, and the current state of the international scientific community in light of the recent cuts to scientific funding announced by the US government.