Molecular Puzzles in Chemical Bathtubs ft. Chris Brewer

In Other Words

His graduate project designing ruthenium precursor molecules for photo-assisted chemical vapour deposition, building the IR-based apparatus himself and working out the full stepwise light-driven decomposition pathway and quantum yield to screen candidates for his collaborator.

Key Takeaways

Postdoc at UT Dallas who moved from organic synthesis to surface science, now doing chemical bath deposition of tin/iron sulfide onto self-assembled monolayers as a proof-of-concept for area-selective, patternable deposition toward flexible electronics.
Entered science through a Tampa science museum (volunteer at 14, research project at 16); worked across FSU, USF, University of Florida (created a Harry Potter ‘potions’ class), NC State, UT Dallas.
Knowing what you don’t want to do (sugar chemistry) is a valuable outcome of trying a field.
Loves the puzzle-solving and daily variety; a reaction that only worked in direct Florida sunlight meant running it on the building roof.
Three wishes: access to any characterisation tool, machine-shop skills to build custom setups, and lab robotics so he can focus on analysis and idea exploration.