BIO

I am a theoretical and computational chemist and my areas of research interest include liquid state theory, polymers and computational and simulation techniques. I am particularly interested in hybrid theory/simulation methods.

I enjoy teaching the general chemistry sequence, physical chemistry (including quantum mechanics, thermodynamics, and kinetics), and computational chemistry. As an educator, I believe comprehension is proven through application. While it’s easy to follow an expert solving a problem, it is a far greater challenge to do the work yourself. My goal is to guide students and provide the necessary tools, but I challenge them to ultimately prove their knowledge and build authentic confidence by doing the work themselves.

EDUCATION

Ph.D., Applied Chemistry, Colorado School of Mines, 2016

B.S., Chemistry, The College of Idaho (Albertson College) 2004

SCHOLARSHIP & RESEARCH

Donley, J. P., Heine, D. R., Tormey, C. A. and Wu, D. T. “Liquid-state polaron theory of the hydrated

electron revisited.” The Journal of Chemical Physics, 141, 024504 2014

Servis, M.,Tormey, C. A., Wu, D. T. and Braley, J. “A Molecular Dynamics Study of Tributyl

Phosphate and Diamyl Amyl Phosphonate Self-aggregation in Dodecane and Octane.” The Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 120(10), 2016

He, Q., Wang, S., Hu, R., Akgun, B., Tormey, C.A., Peri, S., Wu, D., Foster, M. “Evidence and

Limits of Universal Topological Surface Segregation of Cyclic Polymers.” Physical Review Letters, 118,

2017 Li,H, Donley, J.P.,Wu, D.T, Curro,J.,Tormey, C.A. “Two-molecule theory of polyethylene liquids” The Journal of Chemical Physics, 161, 194903, 2024