Meet our Chemistry Faculty and Staff
Our faculty
The chemistry department consists of five full-time faculty members and one full-time staff member. The mission of the chemistry department is to help interested students learn chemistry. In pursuit of our mission, we offer students a sequence of courses, seminars, discussions, research and other study opportunities designed to help them learn chemistry and attain their goals.
For our students, we intend to:
- generate and sustain their interest in natural philosophy
- expose them to the beauty of theoretical chemistry
- provide appropriate learning experiences for those whose goals include employment as chemists or graduate study in chemistry
- provide assistance to those who need to acquire basic chemical knowledge in pursuit of goals in other disciplines
About 100 students (chemistry, biology, physics and general science majors) enter the general chemistry sequence each year. About six to eight chemistry majors graduate each spring. Each year, undergraduate science majors collaborate with faculty on a wide range of individual research projects.
Meet our Expert Faculty
Liz Atkinson
Liz Atkinson
DEPT CHAIR 2023-24/Professor
Andrew Baggett
Andrew Baggett
Associate Professor
Megan Bestwick
Megan Bestwick
Associate Professor
Brian Gilbert
Brian Gilbert
Professor
Sean Muir
Sean Muir
Assistant Professor
Our staff and emeritus faculty
Veronica Siller
Veronica Siller
Organic Chemistry Laboratory Coordinator
B.S. (magna cum laude), ÃÛѨÊÓƵ College, 2010
Ms. Siller is the laboratory coordinator for the organic chemistry program. She serves as the principal lab instructor and supervises the student teaching assistants and student tutors for organic chemistry.
Email: vsiller@linfield.edu
James J. Diamond
James J. Diamond
Professor Emeritus
B.S., St. Joseph's University (PA), 1972; Ph.D., Stanford University, 1978.
Courses taught: chemistry in the atmosphere, seminar, general chemistry, physical chemistry, research methods, research and writing in chemistry.
Thomas Reinert
Thomas Reinert
Professor Emeritus
B.S., Iowa State University, 1979; Ph.D., University of Illinois, 1985
Dr. Reinert's major interests are focused in inorganic chemistry, including porphyrin chemistry, organometallic chemistry, and chemical applications of group theory. His current research interests include the controlled synthesis of asymmetric porphyrins, the chemistry of wine-making, molecular modeling, and the design of computer-integrated laboratories for the general chemistry curriculum.
Robert G. Wolcot
Robert G. Wolcot
Professor Emeritus
B.A., University of California, Riverside 1966; Ph.D., California Institute of Technology, 1972.