Chris Mathews (b. 1937) is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry and Biophysics who worked at OSU from 1978 to his retirement in 2002, chairing the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics for the whole of that time. Internationally recognized as a major contributor to the field of biochemistry with an emphasis on enzymology, virology, and genetics, Mathews is also a co-author of a highly successful textbook, Biochemistry, now in its third edition. Mathews was likewise involved with the creation of the Center for Gene Research at OSU, as well as the establishment of the Linus Pauling Institute on the OSU campus and the planning of the Agricultural and Life Sciences Building. His interview focuses on his path through academia, the research that he has pursued in biochemistry, and his memories of involvement with numerous initiatives in the sciences over a twenty-four year career at OSU.

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen for inclusion in the History of Science Oral History Collection (OH 17), Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Oregon State University Libraries.