Thomas Robert Czech (December 8, 1947 in Chicago) is a Nobel Laureate in chemistry.

In 1966, he entered Grinnell College where he obtained a B.A. in 1970.
In 1975, Cech completed his Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley and in the same year, he entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he engaged in postdoctoral research.
In 1978, he obtained his first faculty position at the University of Colorado where he lectured undergraduate students in chemistry and biochemistry, and where he remains on the faculty, currently as Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
In 2000, Dr. Cech succeeded Purnell Choppin as president of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Maryland.
In December 2006 it was reported that he was among the candidates being considered for the presidency of Harvard University.
On April 1, 2008, Dr Cech announced that he will step down as the president of HHMI, to return to teaching and research, in spring 2009.
Awards:
Dr. Cech's work has been recognised by many awards and prizes including: lifetime Professorship by the American Cancer Society (1987),the Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize from Columbia University(1988), the Heineken Prize of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences (1988), the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award (1988), the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1989, shared with Sidney Altman) and the National Medal of Science (1995). In 1987, Dr. Cech was elected to the United States National Academy of Sciences and in 1988 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.