Kyle N. Crabtree

Kyle N. Crabtree is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of California, Davis. He received his B.S. in Chemistry from Ball State University in 2006, followed by a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Illinois in 2012, supervised by Prof. Benjamin McCall. After a postdoctoral fellowship at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, he joined UC Davis in 2014 as an assistant professor and was promoted to associate professor.

• B.S., Chemistry - Ball State University (2006)
• Ph.D., Chemistry - University of Illinois (2012)

His research focuses on rotational spectroscopy of reactive molecules under astrophysical conditions. Key areas include:

• Discovery of novel reactive/exotic molecules (radicals, ions) via plasma discharge and supersonic expansion
• Investigation of intramolecular dynamics in N-containing ring molecules (pseudorotation, tunneling)
• Development of Ka-band CP-FTMW spectrometer for astrochemical applications

Recent articles demonstrate expertise in plasma-generated molecule detection, quantum chemical modeling of molecular conformers, and instrument design for astrochemical studies. His work bridges physical chemistry, analytical chemistry, and astrophysics.

Scientific honors include:

• Hellman Fellowship (2016)
• NSF CAREER Award (2021)
• Laboratory Astrophysics Early Career Award (2022)

As a graduate advisor, he supervises students including Chisom Dim (NSF CAREER grant recipient), Cedric Centers (Best Presentation Award winner), and Daniel Farb. His group receives funding from NSF and NASA, and he served as Past Chair of the American Chemical Society Astrochemistry Subdivision.