Alan Balch

Alan Balch is a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at the University of California, Davis, where he has been faculty since 1970. His research focuses on endohedral fullerenes, fullerene structure/reactivity, polymorphs, and luminescent transition metal complexes. He earned his B.A. from Cornell University (1962) and M.A./Ph.D. from Harvard University (1965/1967), with early roles at UCLA (1966–1970). His work includes groundbreaking studies on fullerene cage violations, metallofullerene synthesis, and aurophilic interactions. Notable awards include the F. A. Cotton Award (2011) and ACS Fellowships (2011).

• Education: B.A. Cornell (1962), M.A./Ph.D. Harvard (1965/1967)
• Affiliations: Balch Lab, UC Davis; Editorial roles in Inorganic Chemistry, Journal of Cluster Science, and others.

Research interests span endohedral fullerenes’ magnetic/luminescent properties, polymorph-driven spectroscopic variations, and crystallization of unstable molecules. Key projects include Sc2C2@C86’s unprecedented structure and Tb3N@C80’s non-IPR cages. His grants and collaborations emphasize fullerene-porphyrin cocrystallization and metal-mediated radical formation. The Balch Lab explores applications in MRI contrast agents, lumophores, and supramolecular assemblies.

• Awards: Distinguished Chemist Award (2012), NSF Special Creativity Award (1989), Reiley Lecturer (N.D. U.)

Advisees/grants: No students listed, but extensive collaborations with co-authors like M. Olmstead and K. Ghiassi. Current projects include gold(I) complex luminescence and fullerene cage disorder studies.

Labs/Teams: Balch Lab (UC Davis Chemistry Department), focusing on structural inorganic chemistry and materials innovation.