Whitney King

Whitney King serves as the Dr. Frank and Theodora Miselis Professor of Chemistry at Colby College, where he teaches General Chemistry, Environmental Chemistry, and Analytical Chemistry within the Department of Chemistry.

He earned a B.S. in Chemistry from St. Lawrence University (1983) and a Ph.D. in Chemical Oceanography from the University of Rhode Island (1988).

King's research centers on sunlight's role in regulating surface water chemistry across lakes and oceans, requiring novel analytical methodologies. His expertise spans Chemical Oceanography, Environmental Chemistry, and Analytical Chemistry, with specific focus on water pollution monitoring, trace metal analysis in seawater, and ultra-trace instrumentation development.

While no specific scientific awards are documented in the source material, his endowed professorship signifies institutional recognition of his scholarly impact.

He leads a research group that has developed over twenty analytical instruments for environmental measurement, now deployed globally by international investigators. King previously served as Department Chair and Director of Colby’s Partnership for Science Education, enhancing K-12 science curricula in regional schools.

His laboratory specializes in creating instrumentation for ultra-trace quantification of Fe, Cu, Cr, Mn, H₂O₂, and O₂⁻ in aquatic systems, directly supporting field research on photochemical processes.