Gregory S. Girolami

Gregory S. Girolami is the William H. and Janet G. Lycan Professor of Chemistry and Director of Graduate Studies at the University of Illinois' Department of Chemistry within the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. He holds dual B.S. degrees in Chemistry and Physics from the University of Texas at Austin and a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley. His postdoctoral work with Sir Geoffrey Wilkinson at Imperial College London preceded his faculty appointment at Illinois in 1983. Girolami has served twice as Department Head (2000–2005 and 2013–2016).

His research focuses on organometallic chemistry, catalysis, molecular magnet synthesis, actinide chemistry, and low-temperature CVD for thin film deposition. Notable contributions include studies on alkane activation mechanisms, chromium boride CVD precursors, and high-temperature molecule-based magnets. Girolami co-founded Tiptek LLC, which develops ultra-sharp probes for nanotechnology applications.

He has received prestigious awards including the ONR Young Investigator Award, Sloan Fellowship, and Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award. Girolami is a Fellow of the AAAS, Royal Society of Chemistry, and ACS. His textbooks are widely adopted, and he is recognized as an outstanding educator at Illinois.

Research highlights include actinide coordination chemistry (e.g., americium complexes) and novel CVD strategies for conformal thin films critical to semiconductor manufacturing. Ongoing projects explore quantum nanoelectronics and nuclear waste recycling via actinide separation methods.