Chemistry department welcomes new organic chemist for fall '09
“I think the atmosphere at Richmond is pretty unique,” said Kristine Nolin, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University, who was just hired to be the University of Richmond’s newest organic chemist. “I was blown away by the energy among the chemistry department’s students and faculty.”
Nolin began her academic career at the University of Delaware, where she participated in undergraduate research, studying the total synthesis of Ginsenol, and earned bachelor's degrees in biology and chemistry. Graduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley afforded Nolin training in transition metal catalysis, and she received her Ph.D. in chemistry from Berkeley in May 2007, under the direction of F. Dean Toste.
Nolin’s research centers on catalysis, a process by which the rate of a chemical reaction is increased in the presence of a substance, a catalyst. Catalysts enable chemists to carry out reactions that might not otherwise be achievable. They also allow for selectivity in these reactions. The study of catalysis influences the industrial world in several ways, including the discovery and manufacturing of drugs and the exploration of alternative fuel sources.
“An exciting aspect of catalysis is that this field overlaps a number of subfields in chemistry, including inorganic/organometallic chemistry, biochemistry, organic chemistry and physical chemistry,” Nolin said.
After Berkeley, Nolin moved on to Harvard where she worked as a National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellow under Eric Jacobsen. Both her doctoral and post-doctoral research focused on the design and development of catalysts for practical organic reactions. While her graduate research dealt with transition metal complexes, her post-doctoral research focused on non-metal catalysts (organocatalysts). Nolin and Jacobsen propose that these catalysts function through mechanisms similar to those observed in the active site of enzymes.
Once at Richmond, Nolin plans to start a research program that will focus on an interdisciplinary approach to methodology development, using organic compounds and metal complexes as catalysts for practical transformations. Evaluation of reaction mechanisms will enable development of new catalytic systems.
“I was really impressed with the quality of research being conducted within the chemistry department at Richmond,” Nolin said. “There is a general openness to multidisciplinary and collaborative approaches to answering scientific questions.”
“The department is very excited for Kristine to join us this fall,” said Lisa Gentile, the department's chair. “With expertise in new catalytic organic reactions, which complements that of our current organic faculty, and a focus on undergraduates, Kristine will provide rich educational opportunities for Richmond students in both the classroom and research lab.”