Kim Renee Dunbar
Kim R. Dunbar | |
|---|---|
| Alma mater | Westminster College B.S. (1980) Purdue University Ph.D. (1984) |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Texas A&M University (1999-present) Michigan State University (1986-1999) |
| Thesis | Redox and Carbonyl Chemistry of Dirhenium Complexes Containing Quadruple and Electron-Rich Triple Bonds (Transition Metal) (1985) |
| Doctoral advisor | |
| Other academic advisors | F. Albert Cotton |
| Website | dunbar |
Kim R. Dunbar is an American inorganic chemist and Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Texas A&M University. Her research concerns inorganic and coordination chemistry, including molecular magnetism, metals in medicine, supramolecular chemistry Involving anions and anion-pi interactions, and multifunctional materials with organic radicals.
Education and career[]
Dunbar received her B.S. in chemistry at Westminster College in 1980, followed by her Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry in 1984 at Purdue University studying with professor . Dunbar then became a postdoctoral research associate in inorganic chemistry with F. Albert Cotton in 1985–1986 at Texas A&M University, before going on to spend the next twelve years conducting research and teaching at Michigan State University, where she moved through the ranks, ultimately becoming a distinguished professor in 1998. She was recruited back to Texas A&M University in 1999, where she currently holds a Davidson Chair of Science and the Distinguished Professorship of Chemistry. Notably, Dunbar is the first female chair holder of the College of Science at TAMU.
In 2015, Dunbar received the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) Award for Distinguished Service in the Advancement of Inorganic Chemistry, the second female recipient of the ACS's top award for inorganic chemistry in its 52-year history.[1] A leader in both chemical research and education, Dunbar is the first female Texas A&M Former Students’ Network (WFSN) Eminent Scholar Award winner.[2] Dunbar was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from her undergraduate alma mater at Westminster College in New Wilmington in 2012.[3] For years Dunbar has served as an Associate editor of the ACS inorganic Chemistry journal.[4] Over the course of her career, she has contributed broadly to the development of inorganic coordination chemistry and materials science which has resulted in over 280 publications to date.[5]
Research[]
Dunbar's research focuses on many areas including organocyanide based functional materials, which was featured in an editorial celebrating Women in Chemistry in 2011[6] published in celebration of the International Year of Chemistry which was the 100th anniversary of Marie Skłodowska's Nobel Prize. Her research, which is based on her major interest in magnets and conductors, interactions with DNA in metal bonded system and conciliation by interactions in anions and aromatic ligands in supramolecular structures and properties allowed her to focus on interfaced problems of metal-based drugs in medicine, alongside synthetic challenges in biological chemistry such as supramolecular anion-