Brandon Cruickshank

Brandon Cruickshank serves as Professor and Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry within Northern Arizona University's College of the Environment, Forestry, and Natural Sciences. With 25 years of continuous service since joining the faculty in 1995, he has established himself as a transformative educator and academic leader dedicated to student-centered learning.

Cruickshank's scholarly work centers on revolutionizing chemistry pedagogy through evidence-based innovations. His research focuses on developing accessible educational tools including chemistry animations, tablet PC problem-solving tutorials, and adaptive learning homework systems that cater to diverse student needs. He nationally influences curriculum design through multiple editions of Raymond Chang's General Chemistry solutions manuals published by McGraw Hill.

His educational leadership manifests in securing significant external funding including National Science Foundation grants for undergraduate STEM education improvement and National Institutes of Health support for minority development programs and the Diné College Bridges to Baccalaureate initiative. Cruickshank also serves as first-year learning coordinator for general chemistry while pioneering supplemental instruction models for large enrollment courses.

• President's Distinguished Teaching Fellow (2008, 2015)
• NAU Teacher-Scholar Award
• Two Golden Axe Influential Faculty Awards
• Multiple NAU Louie Awards
• Three NAU e-Learning Awards
• Two NAU President's Innovation Awards

Beyond academia, Cruickshank actively engages with the Flagstaff community through road safety advocacy and enjoys hiking the Grand Canyon, tennis, and bicycling. Colleagues recognize him as embodying NAU's Lumberjack Spirit, evidenced by his 2019 selection as Homecoming Dedictee - an honor reserved for faculty demonstrating exceptional decade-long service.