Dr. Laura K.G. Ackerman-Biegasiewicz

Laura K. G. Ackerman-Biegasiewicz is an Assistant Professor in the School of Molecular Sciences at Arizona State University. Laura was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawai’i and received her B.A. in chemistry and religious studies from Claremont McKenna College in 2009. While in Claremont she conducted research under the guidance of Professor Andrew W. Zanella and Professor Anna G. Wenzel, gaining experience in synthetic inorganic chemistry and organocatalysis. She then joined the lab of Professor David A. Vicic for a summer at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. In 2010 Laura began working with Professor Daniel J. Weix at the University of Rochester, studying multimetallic catalyzed cross coupling reactions as an NSF graduate research fellow. In 2016 she joined the lab of Professor Abigail G. Doyle at Princeton University, and with the support of an NIH postdoctoral fellowship, developed a Ni and photoredox promoted method for C–H esterification. Throughout her academic years Laura was fortunate enough to serve as a teacher and mentor in many outreach programs, including for the PUEO program at Punahou School, the chemistry mentorship program at the Claremont Colleges, and the Horizons program at the University of Rochester. Laura joined the School of Molecular Sciences in January 2020 and is currently working on designing abundant metal catalyzed reactions and online programs that can lead to sustainable chemistry. Her hobbies include water polo, soccer, running near the ocean, reading & writing non-fiction novels, and poetry, (re)watching Star Wars and The West Wing, and spending time with family and friends.