William Dougherty

William Dougherty is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Susquehanna University, where he teaches and mentors undergraduate researchers. His office is located in the Natural Sciences Center (Room 307A). He holds a PhD from the University of Delaware and a BS from Ursinus College.

Research Interests: Dr. Dougherty investigates the synthesis, characterization, and redox properties of transition metal complexes, focusing on ligand design (e.g., trispyrazolylborate and Janus head ligands) to develop catalysts for reactions like hydrogen production and dinitrogen reduction. His work bridges inorganic/organometallic chemistry with applications in energy and materials science. A secondary project explores sulfur-containing chelating ligands for novel coordination architectures.

Publication Trends: His 15 most recent articles (2012-2015) emphasize electrocatalysis, ligand design, and structural characterization of metal complexes. Common themes include hydrogen production, dinitrogen activation, redox behavior, and crystallographic studies of novel coordination compounds, primarily published in top inorganic/organometallic journals.

Grants & Advising:

• 2015: Susquehanna University Research Partners ($3,000) for amino-acid derived ligand research.
• 2014: II-VI Foundation Undergraduate Research Program ($17,764) for trispyrazolylborate complex studies.

He mentors undergraduate students in synthetic chemistry and electrochemical analysis.

Laboratory: Leads a research group focused on transition metal chemistry at Susquehanna, emphasizing hands-on training in synthesis, spectroscopy, and electrochemistry.