Photo of Matt Whited

Matt Whited

Chair of Chemistry, Chemistry
Professor of Chemistry, Chemistry

Education & Professional History

Davidson College, BS; California Institute of Technology, PhD

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Southern California (2009-2011)

Visiting Scholar, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2022)


At Carleton since 2010.

Highlights & Recent Activity

I am an inorganic chemist with research interests including subfields such as organometallic and inorganic synthesis, kinetics of chemical reactions, physical inorganic and photochemistry, and the chemistry of energy.  My teaching and research interests are closely interwoven, currently focusing on projects in the following areas:

  • Elucidation of new mechanisms for transforming small molecules (carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, dinitrogen, alkanes, etc.) using reactive metal complexes featuring metal/silicon (and other metal/main-group) bonds
  • Development and testing of new tools and techniques for teaching general and inorganic chemistry (done in collaboration with the Interactive Online Network of Inorganic Chemists)
  • Development of resources and modules for incorporating X-ray crystallography into the undergraduate curriculum
  • Implementation and evaluation of course-based research experiences across many fields, with a focus on inorganic chemistry; several years ago, I led a study group on student research experiences in the Carleton STEM curriculum, and I recently implemented a new “Chemistry Research” course (Chem 300). I am particularly interested in how students develop and articulate “adaptive expertise” through undergraduate research experiences.

I maintain strong interests in faculty development and mentoring and have been involved in local and national efforts in this area; I am also committed to implementing and testing (and helping others implement and test) evidence-based, inclusive pedagogies in the classroom and laboratory. My passions for student/faculty collaborative research and developing authentic and well-integrated interdisciplinary connections (within and outside STEM fields) feed into my current roles as Chemistry Department Chair and Director of Carleton’s Integrated STEM Program.

 

Recent Awards and Recognition

  • Featured author in ACS Virtual Select Issue: “Undergraduate Research: Contributions to Organometallic Chemistry”
  • Cottrell Scholar
  • Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar
  • “New Talent: Americas” (Dalton Transactions)
  • NSF-CAREER Awardee

 

Recent Grants

  • ACS Petroleum Research Fund Undergraduate Research Award (2025–2028)
  • NEH Humanities Connections – “Curricular-Bridge Courses Between Humanities & STEM Fields” (2024–2025)
  • NSF-CHE – “RUI: CAS-SC: Promoting Group-Transfer Reactions at Metal/Main-Group Bonds” (2023–2026)
  • NSF-CHE – “ROA: Cation-Controlled Catalysis with Pincer-Crown Ether Complexes” (2022, w/ PI Prof. Alex Miller, UNC-Chapel Hill)
  • NSF-CHE – “Chemistry Early Career Investigator Workshop” (2018, co-organized w/ Prof. Gordana Dukovic, CU-Boulder)
  • NSF-CAREER Award (2016–2023, funded through the SusChEM initiative)

 

Professional Interests

  • adaptive expertise, admissions, catalysis, chemistry of energy, course-based research experiences, crystallography, faculty development and mentoring, financial aid, fundraising, grant writing, inorganic chemistry, inorganic photochemistry, organic chemistry, organic materials, organometallic chemistry, science policy

 

Organizations & Scholarly Affiliations

  • American Chemical Society (Divisions of Inorganic Chemistry, Fluorine Chemistry, and Chemical Education)
  • Interactive Online Network of Inorganic Chemists (IONiC)
  • Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR)
  • Cottrell Scholars Collaborative

Current Courses

  • Fall 2024
    CHEM 294: Directed Research in Chemistry
  •  
    CHEM 394: Directed Research in Chemistry
  • Winter 2025
    CHEM 124: Principles of Chemistry I with Problem Solving and Lab
  •  
    CHEM 294: Directed Research in Chemistry
  •  
    CHEM 394: Directed Research in Chemistry
  • Spring 2025
    CHEM 294: Directed Research in Chemistry
  •  
    CHEM 394: Directed Research in Chemistry
  • Spring 2026
    CHEM 351: Inorganic Chemistry
  •  
    CHEM 352: Laboratory in Advanced Inorganic Chemistry