Chemistry and physics of complex surfaces and interfaces relevant to energy production,atmospheric chemistry,environmental remediation; Advocacy and mentorship for women in science
Geraldine Lee Richmond (born January 17, 1953, in Salina, Kansas)[1] is an American chemist and physical chemist who served as the Under Secretary of Energy for Science in the US Department of Energy from 2021 to 2025.[2][3] Richmond was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate to her role on November 5, 2021. In this position, she oversees the Office of Science, the Applied Energy offices, and 13 of the 17 Department of Energy national laboratories.[3] Before this appointment, Richmond served as a Professor of Physical Chemistry and held the Presidential Chair in Science at the University of Oregon.[4] Her research has focused on understanding the chemistry and physics of complex surfaces and interfaces, using laser-based experimental and theoretical computational methods.[5] These understandings are most relevant to energy production, atmospheric chemistry and remediation of the environment. Throughout her career she has also worked to increase the number and success of women scientists in the U.S. and in many developing countries through the COACh program that she founded in 1999.[6] She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.[7] In recognition of her scientific achievements and contributions to women in science, she received the National Medal of Science from President Obama in 2013.[8]
From 1980 to 1985 she was an assistant professor of chemistry at Bryn Mawr College. Since 1985, Richmond has been at UO, from 1985 to 1991 as an associate professor of chemistry, and as a professor since 1991. Until 1995 she was director of the Chemical Physics Institute. During her time there, she has held the Knight Professor of Liberal Arts and Sciences position (1998-2001), the Richard M. and Patricia H. Noyes Professor position (2001-2013), and currently holds the Presidential Chair in Science. Her teaching has primarily focused on introductory chemistry and courses designed for non-science majors.[10] Richmond’s scientific research explores the chemical and physical processes occurring at complex buried interfaces. Her work extensively uses laser-based spectroscopy experiments combined with theoretical computational methods. She has investigated the hydrogen bonding of surface water molecules at metal/water,[11] air/water,[12][13][14] and oil/water interfaces,[15][16] as well as the adsorption of surfactants, salts, acids, polymers, and other solutes at these interfaces.[17][18]
A significant focus of her studies at air-water interfaces has been on the adsorption and reactivity of atmospherically important species, including carbon dioxide, sulfur-containing compounds, and small organic molecules relevant to climate change and air pollution.[19] More recently, her research has expanded to understanding the molecular factors that contribute to the surface stabilization of nanoemulsions.[20][21] This work is particularly relevant to applications such as environmental remediation and drug delivery.
Richmond is the founding director of COACh, a grassroots organization based out of the University of Oregon that conducts research on challenges that women and minority groups face in achieving their STEM career aspirations. [22] It also provides career building workshops aimed at increasing the number and success of women scientists in the U.S. and in many developing countries around the globe. Over 25,000 women scientists have been benefitted from the COACh programs that continue today.[23]
Richmond is director of the NSF-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program at the University of Oregon. Started in 1987 it is one of the longest-running REU programs in the United States. In the over 30 years of the REU program, it has hosted over 400 undergraduates from across the country with 90% continuing to graduate school.[30]
1993 Fellow, American Physical Society, "For seminal contributions to the understanding of dynamics at interfaces accomplished by innovative applications of nonlinear optical phenomena."[32]
2011 Joel Henry Hildebrand Award of the American Chemical Society, "For pioneering applications of nonlinear optical spectroscopies and modeling of liquid surfaces and the resulting new understanding of water structure and bonding at liquid interfaces."[43]
2013 Charles Lathrop Parsons Award of the American Chemical Society, "For distinguished public service to chemistry through advocacy for higher education, wise counsel and leadership in national science policy, and tireless advocacy for women chemists."[45]
2013 Davisson-Germer Prize for "elegant elucidation of the molecular structure and organization of liquid-liquid and liquid-air interfaces using nonlinear optical spectroscopies"[46]
2013 National Medal of Science[47][48][49] for “her landmark discoveries of the molecular characteristics of water; for her creative demonstration of how her findings impact many key biological, chemical and technological processes; and for her extraordinary efforts in the United States and around the globe to promote women in science"
2014 Pittsburgh Spectroscopy Award of the Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh[50]
2017 Honorary Doctorate Degree, Illinois Institute of Technology[51]
2017 Honorary Doctorate Degree, Kansas State University[52][53]
↑ Richmond, Geraldine Lee. Time evolution of the gain in the ClF/H₂ rotational chemical laser: Evidence for V->R energy transfer (PhD thesis). University of California, Berkeley. OCLC892836231.
↑ Lapp, Marshall (1987). Advances in laser science-II: proceedings of the Second International Laser Science Conference, Seattle, WA 1986. American Institute of Physics. ISBN9780883183601.
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