ABOUT GERALDINE RICHMOND, PHD
Dr. Geraldine Richmond is the Presidential Chair in Science and Professor of Chemistry at the University of Oregon and Undersecretary of Science and Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy.
A native of Kansas, Richmond received her undergraduate degree in chemistry from Kansas State University and her PhD in physical chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley. She directs several University of Oregon undergraduate research programs and has taught many introductory chemistry and science literacy courses. Richmond currently serves on the National Science Board, and she is the Secretary of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Throughout her career, Richmond has had the privilege of working with dozens of undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral associates in her laboratory, where she examines the chemical and physical behaviors of complex surfaces. Her research tackles challenges in fields including energy production, environmental remediation, and atmospheric chemistry. The research conducted in her laboratory with undergraduate, graduate students, and postdoctoral associates has resulted in over 220 publications.
Richmond has been a strong advocate for diversity in the scientific workforce throughout her career. She is the founding and current director of COACh, an organization that has helped over 20,000 women scientists and engineers advance their careers since it began in 1998. Richmond is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She has won numerous awards for her scientific accomplishments, including the National Medal of Science, the Priestley Medal of the American Chemical Society, the Linus Pauling Legacy Award, and the American Physical Society Davisson-Germer Prize in Surface Physics.