Jonathan Moerdyk

Jonathan Moerdyk serves as Associate Professor of Chemistry at Seton Hill University, where he has built an active research program since joining the faculty in Fall 2014. His work bridges fundamental organic chemistry with practical applications in materials science and sustainable technology development.

His academic background includes:

• Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, University of Texas at Austin (2014)
• B.S. in Chemistry, Hope College (2009)

Professor Moerdyk's research centers on carbene chemistry, particularly the design of novel N,N'-diamidocarbenes that function as transition metal mimics. His group explores applications in small molecule activation (ammonia, silanes), electrochromic/photochromic molecular switches, and photoinitiated polymerization. This interdisciplinary work combines synthetic organic chemistry with computational modeling and spectroscopic analysis to develop new functional materials and sustainable chemical processes.

His 22 publications (2009-2019) demonstrate consistent high-impact output, with recent work shifting toward applied materials chemistry while maintaining fundamental mechanistic studies. Key journals include Nature Chemistry, Journal of the American Chemical Society, and Accounts of Chemical Research.

Major recognitions include:

• Forbes '30 Under 30 in Science' (2015)
• Scientific American '30 Under 30' (2013)
• Hope College Young Alumni Award (2016)

Professor Moerdyk actively mentors undergraduate researchers, with students regularly presenting at national conferences and winning awards. His teaching innovations include integrating computational tools like iSpartan into chemistry curricula and developing the 'Haber-Bosch' summative assessment. The research environment emphasizes close faculty-student collaboration, professional development, and translating fundamental discoveries into tangible applications.

His current program focuses on tunable carbene scaffolds for molecular switches and advanced polymerization techniques, maintaining strong connections between research and undergraduate education at Seton Hill University.