Christopher J. Smart

Christopher J. Smart is an Associate Professor of Chemistry at Vassar College, where he has served since 1993. He holds a BA from Vassar College (1983) and a PhD from Yale University. Prior to joining Vassar, he worked as a Staff Scientist at IBM’s T. J. Watson Research Center, contributing to chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques for thin film synthesis.

His research focuses on synthesizing carbon nanotubes using CVD-derived metal catalysts and functionalizing fullerenes (C70, C76, C84). He also advocates for K-12 science education enhancement. Teaching includes CHEM 244 (Organic Chemistry) and CHEM 342 (Advanced Organic Chemistry). His lab is located in the Bridge for Laboratory Sciences, Box 190.