Biography

Chris obtained his MChem from Merton College, University of Oxford (UK) in 2013, having conducted research in the area of bifunctional organocatalysis in the group of Prof. Darren Dixon. He then moved to the University of Bristol (UK) to work with Prof. Varinder Aggarwal FRS, where he investigated the functionalization of nucleophilic boronate complexes, obtaining his PhD in 2017. During his PhD studies, he was also a visiting researcher at both the Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (Germany). In 2017, Chris joined the laboratory of Prof. Matthew Sigman at the University of Utah as a postdoctoral researcher, working in collaboration with the laboratory of Prof. Shelley Minteer to investigate organometallic reaction mechanisms using a combination of electroanalytical techniques and modern data science methods. During this time, he was awarded a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship, which included a return phase in Europe, commencing in 2020 at the Institut Català d'Investigació Química (ICIQ, Spain). At ICIQ, Chris worked in the laboratory of Prof. Ruben Martin studying the integration of electrocatalysis with nickel cross-coupling. In Fall 2021, Chris commenced his independent career as an Assistant Professor at Dartmouth, and moved to the University of Texas at San Antonio in January 2025.

Chris' research interests span all areas of homogeneous catalysis, including asymmetric organocatalysis, organometallic catalysis, molecular electrocatalysis, and photocatalysis. Outside of the lab, he enjoys running, hiking, reading novels, and playing musical instruments.

Selected Awards and Honors

NIH (NIGMS) Maximizing Investigator's Research Award, 2024

Scialog Fellow in Automating Chemical Laboratories, 2023

Walter and Constance Burke Research Initiation Award, Dartmouth College, 2021

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Global Fellowship, 2018

University of Bristol Faculty of Science Commendation, 2018

RSC Researcher Mobility Grant, 2015

University of Bristol Postgraduate Scholarship, 2013

Brian Bannister Prize in Organic Chemistry, University of Oxford, 2013

Gibbs Book Prize, University of Oxford, 2012

Eisai Limited Undergraduate Award, University of Oxford, 2011

Bruker UK Limited Prize, University of Oxford, 2010

AstraZeneca Research Bursary, 2010

Royal Society of Chemistry A Level Chemistry Prize, 2009