Miriam Bowring
Margret Geselbracht Associate Professor of Chemistry
Chemistry Department
Division of Mathematical and Natural Sciences
I am excited to be at Reed, where I teach general and inorganic chemistry courses, and run a research laboratory. In the lab, we aim to untangle the fundamental mechanisms that make catalysts work, using approaches from across inorganic, organic, physical, and synthetic chemistry. We have a special focus on protons, the smallest nuclei, and determining what they can do that heavier nuclei cannot. We are also looking for ways to put heavy metal contaminants to good use. The mechanisms we uncover may lead to better catalysts for synthesis and fuels. Before my arrival at Reed, I studied proton-coupled electron transfer (postdoctoral work at Yale University and the University of Washington) and organometallic catalysis (Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley; B.S. at Yale University), and I taught high school chemistry. My favorite thing to chase after, besides a chemical reaction mechanism, is a frisbee.