Dr. Kerry K. Karukstis

Kerry K. Karukstis is the Ray and Mary Ingwersen Professor of Chemistry at Harvey Mudd College (HMC).  She earned  B.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Duke University and was an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow in the Laboratory of Chemical Biodynamics at the University of California-Berkeley.  Dr. Karukstis' collaborative research with undergraduates focuses on spectroscopic studies of molecules that self-assemble into complex three-dimensional structures when placed in solution.  Dr. Karukstis is actively engaged in the undergraduate research enterprise through her involvement with the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR), serving as past President and co-principal investigator on three NSF awards focused on institutionalizing undergraduate research.  She has been named a CUR Fellow, an American Chemical Society (ACS) Fellow, and the 2020 recipient of the ACS Award for Research at an Undergraduate Institution.  She is past chair of the ACS Committee on Professional Training.