Robert J. McMahon

Robert J. McMahon is a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he has been a faculty member since 1988 and was promoted to full professor in 1997. His research spans interdisciplinary areas in chemical and physical sciences, focusing on reactive intermediates, astrochemistry, and materials chemistry.

• Education: B.S. (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1980), Ph.D. (University of California, Los Angeles, 1985), Postdoctoral Research (MIT, 1985–1988).

His work combines experimental and computational methods to study the structure, photochemistry, and spectroscopy of organic species relevant to combustion, interstellar chemistry, and material science. Collaborations with Prof. Mark Ediger’s group have advanced understanding of glass-forming organic materials.

His recent publications focus on rotational and infrared spectroscopy of astrochemically relevant molecules like 3-furonitrile, chloropyrazine, and pyrimidine. These studies employ mm-wave spectrometers and quantum chemistry to elucidate molecular behavior in extreme environments.

• Scientific Awards: Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2003).

McMahon mentors graduate and undergraduate students in interdisciplinary research, emphasizing organic chemistry, reaction mechanisms, and theoretical chemical physics. His group’s collaborative projects have produced numerous publications involving undergraduates and graduate students. He also contributes to chemical education and instrumentation development through collaborations with the Ediger group and former student Brian Esselman.