Kevin H. Shaughnessy

Kevin H. Shaughnessy is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at The University of Alabama. He serves as Director of Undergraduate Studies and leads the Shaughnessy Research Group focused on organometallic chemistry and catalytic systems.

• Postdoctoral Associate, Yale University (1997-1999)
• PhD, Stanford University (1998)
• BS, University of Nebraska (1992)

Research interests center on organometallic reaction mechanisms, ligand design for transition metal catalysts, and synthetic methodology optimization. The group specializes in phosphine ligands for palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions, air-stable precatalysts, and metal-ligand cooperative catalysis.

Recent publications analyze ligand structural properties impacting catalytic efficiency, including bis(phosphine) monoxide and unsymmetric diphosphine systems. These works intersect organometallic chemistry, catalysis, and computational analysis.

• Goldwater Scholarship (Advised undergraduate Blake Yuenger)

The group trains students in organic/organometallic synthesis, spectroscopic methods (NMR, IR, UV/Vis, MS, X-ray crystallography), and science communication. Current projects include palladium amine complex precatalysts with PhD student Adedayo Adebayo.