Benjamin T. King

Benjamin T. King is the Reynold Clayton Fuson Endowed Professor in Chemistry at the University of Nevada, Reno, affiliated with the College of Science and Department of Chemistry. His research focuses on synthetic organic chemistry, organometallic methodology, and theoretical studies of carbon-based materials.

Education

• Postdoctoral Research Associate (2000-2002) at University of California, Berkeley with Robert G. Bergman
• Ph.D. (2000) from University of Colorado with Josef Michl
• B.S. (1992) from Northeastern University

Research Focus

Professor King leads investigations into: (1) Mechanistic studies of the Scholl reaction for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) synthesis using computational and experimental approaches; (2) Development of zirconium-mediated biphenylation methodologies for strained PAH structures; (3) Electronic structure analysis of carbon nanotubes through valence-bond theory; and (4) Synthesis of novel nanocarbon architectures including quadrannulene and extended triptycenes with potential applications in molecular machinery.

Recent Publication Trends

King's recent articles (2024-2025) demonstrate interdisciplinary collaboration across quantum electrodynamics, particle physics, materials science, and biomedical research. Dominant themes include strong-field QED experiments, advanced semiconductor laser design, COVID-19 clinical trials, and novel sensor development, reflecting broad applications of chemical principles to physics and engineering challenges.

Awards and Honors

• Reynold Clayton Fuson Endowed Professorship in Chemistry (awarded 1984)

Research Infrastructure

He directs the King Group, specializing in synthetic organic chemistry and organometallic methodologies. The group maintains expertise in computational chemistry, X-ray crystallography, and advanced synthesis techniques for developing novel carbon nanostructures.