Dan Killelea
I am Dan Killelea, Associate Professor in Chemistry at Loyola University Chicago.
I am originally from Milwaukee, WI. I have a BS in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, a PhD in Chemistry from Tufts University in Medford, MA, and moved to Chicago in 2007 to do a postdoc at The University of Chicago. I have been at Loyola since 2011.
Despite the parting advice from my undergraduate research advisor (“Stay away from the Physical Chemist”), I joined Art Utz’s lab as a graduate student to study gas-surface reaction dynamics. This was my introduction to Surface Science. I am still fascinated by reactions on metal surfaces, and I have found AVS to be the optimal community for sharing and discussing results from my group and learning about the progress of others. My group is presently studying the electronic and geometric changes of metal surfaces under highly oxidizing conditions and the effects of such changes on surface chemistry relevant to heterogeneous catalysis.
I greatly enjoy attending the AVS International Symposium, and have fortunately been able to attend most of them over the past 15 years. The symposia are a great way to meet people and make connections. I also very much appreciate how the AVS strongly supports graduate students, far more than other professional societies. Additionally, the barriers to being involved with the AVS are modest, and I have found it to be the most rewarding service I do.