Dr. Jeremy Kua
Department of Chemistry
Office: ST 381
Phone: (619) 260-7970
e-mail Address:
Academic Background
B.A., Reed College
Ph.D., California Institute of Technology
Research Associate, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Diego

Where to find me: I am around most of the summer except for a couple of weeks in August. The best way to reach me is via e-mail.

Courses Taught in Fall 2009
Chem 105    Physical Science for K-8 Teachers
Chem 151H    General Chemistry Lecture (Honors Preceptorial)
Chem 311    Physical Chemistry (Quantum)

Course web pages will be available in late August 2009.

Some Course Web Pages from recent years

Research Interests: Computational Chemistry
Main interest: Self-assembly and Self-organizing systems.
Other interests:
   Organometallic catalysis; methane activation.
   Reactions of small molecules on metal surfaces; heterogeneous catalysis; fuel cells.
   Enzyme catalysis; ligand-receptor interactions in proteins.

What is computational chemistry? Look at some of the Introduction links in my Resources for Computational Chemistry page.

What is self-assembly? Here's what Wikipedia says. Also see some excellent examples from the Whitesides Research Group at Harvard. And some nice pictures and descriptions of self-assembly in the kitchen and more.

Current/potential projects for 2008-2009
Interested in working on a research project in computational chemistry? Come by my office and talk to me. [Potential credit for Chem 496 during the semester; funding available during the summer.]

1. Ion and ligand solvation with application to self-organizing metal organic frameworks and organometallic catalysis.
2. Self-assembly of transition metal benzene clusters.
3. Kinetics and Thermodynamics of triorganoboroxines and their base adducts.
4. Self-assembly of Boron-containing covalent organic frameworks.
5. Oligomerization of glyoxal and its derivatives.
6. Self-assembly of SbCl3 and dioxane.

What are we currently working on? Kua Research Group

External funding:
Camille & Henry Dreyfus Faculty Start-up Grant (08/2004-08/2009)
Research Corporation CCSA (06/2005-08/2007)
ACS-Petroleum Research Fund (09/2007-09/2009)

Publications

Computational Research Experience (i.e., projects I've worked on throughout my career)

Favourite Links

Snail Mail Address
Dr. Jeremy Kua
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
5998 Alcala Park
San Diego, CA 92110
Click here to return to the Chemistry Department Home Page
Click here to return to USD Home Page

Last modified: 14 Jan 2009