Prof. Dr. Keith Searles

Dr. Keith Searles was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. For his undergraduate studies, he attended Randolph-Macon College, located in Ashland, Virginia, where he completed his B.S. degree in 2009. During this time he performed research under the guidance of Prof. Rebecca Michelsen which focused on the theory of ion exclusion based on surface and bulk acidity of ice films. After completion of his degree he became a research assistant at his alma mater working with Prof. Serge Schreiner. Keith investigated the design of late transition metal complexes stabilized by chelating phosphine ligands and studied their reactivity towards small molecules. This work prompted Keith to pursue a doctoral degree in chemistry at Indiana University in the fall of 2010. There he worked with Prof. Kenneth G. Caulton and Prof. Daniel J. Mindiola. In 2013, Keith transitioned with Prof. Mindiola to the University of Pennsylvania for the continuation of his doctoral studies. His thesis work involved the synthesis of novel transition metal compounds featuring metal-ligand multiple bonds as well as chemistry related to nitrogen reduction. Upon successfully defending his Ph.D. thesis in 2015, he moved to Zürich, Switzerland to conduct research in the labs of Prof. Christophe Copéret at ETH Zürich as a postdoctoral research fellow. It was during this time that he began studying molecularly defined heterogenous catalysts using surface organometallic chemistry (SOMC). After a few great years in Europe he transitioned back to the United States in the Fall of 2019 and commenced his independent career as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the University of Florida. His current research focuses on the synthesis of new molecules and materials designed for applications in energy and catalysis.