Davita Watkins

Last updated
Davita L. Watkins
Alma mater Vanderbilt University, University of Memphis
Awards National Science Foundation CAREER Award, American Chemical Society Young Investigator Award, ORAU Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award
Scientific career
Fields Organic chemistry, functional materials, supramolecular chemistry
Institutions University of Florida, University of Mississippi
Thesis Novel Photochromic Spirooxazine Dimers: Synthesis, Characterization, and Applications (2012)
Doctoral advisor Tomoko Fujiwara
Website https://watkinsresearchgroup.org/

Davita L. Watkins is an associate professor of chemistry at the University of Mississippi, where her research interest is in developing supramolecular synthesis methods to make new organic semiconducting materials for applications in optoelectronic devices, as well as studying their structural, optical, and electronic properties. Her group also investigates the design of dendrimer molecules for biomedical applications.

Contents

Education

Watkins obtained a bachelor's degree in chemistry and anthropology from Vanderbilt University in 2006 and her Ph.D. from the University of Memphis in 2012. [1] [2] [3] Her doctoral research under the supervision of Tomoko Fujiwara was focused on establishing new synthetic routes for a series of oligomers and studying their photochroic and solvatochromic properties. [4] [5]

Research and career

Watkins began her postdoctoral research at the University of Florida in 2012, developing new organic materials for applications in photovoltaics. [2] [6] In particular, she worked on oligomers that could be synthesised via self-assembly techniques and studying their optoelectronic and redox properties. [7] [8] [9]

She joined University of Mississippi in 2014 as an assistant professor, the first female tenure track professor in the department of chemistry and biochemistry. [10] As of 2022, she is an associate professor of chemistry with a joint appointment in the department of chemical and biomolecular engineering at The Ohio State University. [11] [12] [13] [14] Her research in supramolecular chemistry specialises in designing new synthetic routes for making oligomer semiconductors for applications in optoelectronic devices by studying the relationships between their structural, optical and electronic properties. [15] [16] [17] Her group is also interested in the synthesis of new dendrimer molecules for applications in drug delivery, theranostics, and biomedicine. [16] The American Chemical Society highlighted her work with profiles and interviews. [18] [19]

Awards and honours

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References

  1. ↑ "Davita Watkins, CV" (PDF). Watkins Research Group. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-07-03. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  2. 1 2 "Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry - Davita Watkins". chemistry.olemiss.edu. 14 July 2014. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  3. ↑ Watkins, Davita (2012). Novel photochromic spirooxazine dimers: synthesis, characterization, and applications. University of Memphis.
  4. ↑ Watkins, Davita L.; Fujiwara, Tomoko (2012-01-15). "Synthesis, characterization, and solvent-independent photochromism of spironaphthooxazine dimers". Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A: Chemistry. 228 (1): 51–59. doi:10.1016/j.jphotochem.2011.11.011. ISSN   1010-6030.
  5. ↑ Watkins, Davita L.; Fujiwara, Tomoko (2012-12-13). "Bis-spironaphthooxazine based photochromic polymer materials". Journal of Materials Chemistry C. 1 (3): 506–514. doi:10.1039/C2TC00098A. ISSN   2050-7534.
  6. ↑ "Castellano Group Members". Castellano Research Group. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  7. ↑ Schulze, Benjamin M.; Shewmon, Nathan T.; Zhang, Jing; Watkins, Davita L.; Mudrick, John P.; Cao, Weiran; Zerdan, Raghida Bou; Quartararo, Anthony J.; Ghiviriga, Ion; Xue, Jiangeng; Castellano, Ronald K. (2013-12-24). "Consequences of hydrogen bonding on molecular organization and charge transport in molecular organic photovoltaic materials". Journal of Materials Chemistry A. 2 (5): 1541–1549. doi:10.1039/C3TA13529B. ISSN   2050-7496.
  8. ↑ Schulze, Benjamin M.; Watkins, Davita L.; Zhang, Jing; Ghiviriga, Ion; Castellano, Ronald K. (2014-09-25). "Estimating the shape and size of supramolecular assemblies by variable temperature diffusion ordered spectroscopy". Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry. 12 (40): 7932–7936. doi:10.1039/C4OB01373E. ISSN   1477-0539. PMID   25188902.
  9. ↑ Shewmon, Nathan T.; Watkins, Davita L.; Galindo, Johan F.; Zerdan, Raghida Bou; Chen, Jihua; Keum, Jong; Roitberg, Adrian E.; Xue, Jiangeng; Castellano, Ronald K. (2015). "Enhancement in Organic Photovoltaic Efficiency through the Synergistic Interplay of Molecular Donor Hydrogen Bonding and π-Stacking". Advanced Functional Materials. 25 (32): 5166–5177. doi:10.1002/adfm.201501815. ISSN   1616-3028. OSTI   1286904. S2CID   93768122.
  10. ↑ Smith, Edwin B. (2018-05-23). "Eight UM Professors Honored for Creative Research Projects". Ole Miss News. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  11. ↑ Purvis, Mearl. "Level Up: Increasing the number of women in STEM careers through mentorship". WHBQ. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  12. ↑ "University of Michigan Tech Summit: Jared Delcamp and Davita Watkins Discussion". YouTube. 2019-10-20. Archived from the original on 2020-07-11. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  13. ↑ "Watkins Research Group | We Are Research". watkinsresearchgroup.org. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  14. ↑ anonymous (2022-07-01). "Watkins, Davita". Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  15. ↑ Ellington, Thomas L.; Reves, Peyton L.; Simms, Briana L.; Wilson, Jamey L.; Watkins, Davita L.; Tschumper, Gregory S.; Hammer, Nathan I. (2017-05-19). "Quantifying the Effects of Halogen Bonding by Haloaromatic Donors on the Acceptor Pyrimidine". ChemPhysChem. 18 (10): 1267–1273. doi: 10.1002/cphc.201700114 . ISSN   1439-4235. PMID   28247539.
  16. 1 2 Nguyen, Suong T.; Ellington, Thomas L.; Allen, Katelyn E.; Gorden, John D.; Rheingold, Arnold L.; Tschumper, Gregory S.; Hammer, Nathan I.; Watkins, Davita L. (2018-05-02). "Systematic Experimental and Computational Studies of Substitution and Hybridization Effects in Solid-State Halogen Bonded Assemblies". Crystal Growth & Design. 18 (5): 3244–3254. doi:10.1021/acs.cgd.8b00398. ISSN   1528-7483. S2CID   102605177.
  17. ↑ Nguyen, Suong T.; Rheingold, Arnold L.; Tschumper, Gregory S.; Watkins, Davita L. (2016-11-02). "Elucidating the Effects of Fluoro and Nitro Substituents on Halogen Bond Driven Assemblies of Pyridyl-Capped π-Conjugated Molecules". Crystal Growth & Design. 16 (11): 6648–6653. doi:10.1021/acs.cgd.6b01321. ISSN   1528-7483.
  18. ↑ Mensah, Samantha Theresa (February 22, 2021). "One on one with Davita L. Watkins". American Chemical Society. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  19. ↑ Stanchak, Jesse (2021-02-19). "Celebrating African American Chemists: Davita L. Watkins". ACS Axial. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  20. ↑ "ACS Women Chemists Committee announces its 2022 Rising Star Award recipients". Chemical & Engineering News. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  21. ↑ Stewart, Shea (2018-02-09). "Chemistry Professor Receives Prestigious Honor". Ole Miss News. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  22. ↑ "Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry - Davita Watkins Wins 2018 ACS Young Investigator Award". chemistry.olemiss.edu. 12 February 2018. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  23. ↑ "PMSE Young Investigator Symposium – PMSE" . Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  24. ↑ "Dr. Lloyd N. Ferguson Professional Award". www.nobcche.org. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  25. ↑ "Journal of Materials Chemistry C profiles: Contributors to the Emerging Investigators 2018 issue". Journal of Materials Chemistry C. 6 (44): 11771–11777. 2018-11-15. doi:10.1039/C8TC90219D. ISSN   2050-7534.
  26. ↑ Brown, Adam (2018-05-26). "Eight UM Professors Honored for Creative Research Projects". HottyToddy.com. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  27. ↑ "NSF Award Search: Award#1652094 - CAREER: Elucidating the role of sigma-hole interactions in advanced functional materials". nsf.gov. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  28. ↑ "Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry - Davita Watkins Wins Prestigious NSF CAREER Award". chemistry.olemiss.edu. 30 March 2017. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  29. ↑ Brown, Adam (2017-07-01). "Chemistry Professor Lands National Science Foundation CAREER Award". HottyToddy.com. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  30. ↑ "ORAU awards 35 research grants totaling $175,000 to junior faculty". Oak Ridge Today. 2015-05-28. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  31. ↑ Brown, Adam (2017-09-04). "UM Mathematics Professor Awarded Prestigious Ralph E. Powe Grant". HottyToddy.com. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
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