Robert Gilliard - Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Professor Robert J. Gilliard, Jr. is the Novartis Professor of Chemistry at MIT. Professor Gilliard received is bachelor's degree from Clemson University and his Ph.D. from the University of Georgia. He conducted postdoctoral studies at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich) and Case Western University. Professor Gilliard specializes in the chemical synthesis of new molecules that impact the development of new catalysts and reagents, including the discovery of unknown transformations of environmentally-relevant small-molecules [e.g., carbon dioxide (CO₂), carbon monoxide (CO), and dihydrogen (H₂)]. In addition, he investigates the design, characterization, and reactivity of boron-based luminescent and redox-active heterocycles for use in optoelectronic applications (e.g., stimuli-responsive materials, thermochromic materials, chemical sensors). He has received numerous awards including the Harry Gray Award for Creative Work in Inorganic Chemistry (2023), the Organometallics Distinguished Author Award (2021), NSF-CAREER Award (2021) and a Sloan Fellowship (2021).

Nicole Crowder - University of Mary Washington

Nicole is a professor at the University of Mary Washington (Fredericksburg, VA). Nicole did her undergraduate work at Sweet Briar College and earned her Ph.D. at Princeton University. After a one year visiting position at Bucknell University, Nicole came back home to Virginia with the position at UMW, where she teaches General Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, and occasionally Senior Seminar. She has an active research program with her undergrads working on tethering transition metal catalysts to metal oxides. Nicole is a member of the IONiC VIPEr leadership council and administraton team for the VIPEr website.

Shirley Lin - United States Naval Academy

Shirley Lin is professor of chemistry at the United States Naval Academy. She graduated from MIT in 1995 after being introduced to organometallic chemistry by Richard R. Schrock. Her PhD thesis, completed in 2000, focused upon metallocene-catalyzed olefin polymerization under the supervision of Robert M. Waymouth at Stanford University. Following a postdoctoral experience at The Scripps Research Institute with Julius Rebek Jr., she arrived at USNA in 2002 where she teaches inorganic, organic, and general chemistry. Her research interests include the development of novel catalytic synthetic methodologies and chemistry education research.

Chip Nataro - Lafayette College

Chip has been at Lafayette since 1999. He and his students perform research in organometallic chemistry with a particular fondness for bis(phosphino)ferrocene ligands. The group studies the electrochemistry, catalytic activity and coordination modes of these ligands. Nataro earned his PhD at Iowa State where he studied the protonation of M-M bonds. He went to the University of Vermont for his post doc where he split time learning about inorganic polymers and electrochemistry. Nataro teaches inorganic and general chemistry at Lafayette. He is a member of the leadership council of IONiC VIPEr, has participated in writing inorganic exams for the ACS exams institute and is a preceptor recipient of the ACS Division of Inorganic Chemistry Award for Undergraduate Research in 2013. He has also taught a first-year seminar course on baseball and coaches the club baseball team at Lafayette.