• Isolation and identification of biologically active compounds from insect and other arthropod sources
• Pheromone systems of some amphibian and mammalian species
• Identification of the messenger molecules involved and the understanding of the underlying signal transduction pathways

Eisner, T.; Meinwald, J. Alkaloid-Derived Pheromones and Sexual Selection in Lepidoptera. Pheromone Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, G. J. Blomquist and R. C. Vogt, Eds., Elsevier Academic Press, London, 2003, pp. 341-368.

Taggi, A.E.; Meinwald, J.; Schroeder, F. A New Approach to Natural Products Discovery Exemplified by the Identification of Sulfated Nucleosides in Spider Venom. J. Am. Chem. Soc, 2004, 126 (33), 10364.

Schroeder, F.C.; Weibel, D.B.; Meinwald, J. Chiral Silylation Reagents: Determining Configuration via NMR-Spectroscopic Coanalysis. Organic Letters, 2004, 6, 3019.

Meinwald, J. Personal Reflections on Receiving the Roger Adams Award in Organic Chemistry. JOC Perspective, 2005, 70.

Gronquist, M.; Meinwald, J.; Eisner, T.; Schroeder, F. Exploring Uncharted Terrain in Nature's Structure Space Using Capillary NMR Spectroscopy: 13 Steroids from 50 Fireflies. JACS 2005, 127 (31), 10810.

• PhD, Harvard University, 1952

• BS, University of Chicago, 1948

• PhB, University of Chicago, 1947

• PhD (hon), University of Göteborg, Sweden, 1989

• American Chemical Society Ernest Guenther Award;
• Arthur C. Cope Scholar
• Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement (with Thomas Eisner)
• International Society of Chemical Ecology Silver Medal
• Gustavus John Esselen Award for Chemistry in the Public Interest(with Thomas Eisner)
• Czech Academy of Sciences Heyrovsky Medal
• 2005 American Chemical Society Roger Adams Award in Organic Chemistry
• 2006 Grand Prix, la Maison de la Chimie (with Thomas Eisner)