• 1988 -- Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry, Stanford University.
• 1982 -- B.S. in Physics, University of California at Irvine.
• 1981 -- B.S. in Chemistry, Cum Laude, University of California at Irvine.

• 2004-present -- Vice President and Associate Provost, University of Notre Dame.
• 2000-present -- Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame.
• 1995-1999 -- Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame.
• 1988-1994 -- Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame.
• 1982-1988 -- Graduate Research under Prof. Richard N. Zare, Department of Chemistry, and Prof. Robert J. Madix, Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University.
• 1982-1985 -- Teaching Assistant, Department of Chemistry, Stanford University.
  

• Faculty Fellow of the John A. Kaneb Center for Teaching and Learning (2004-2005)
• CASE U.S. Professor of the Year for Doctoral and Research Universities (2002)
• Kaneb Teaching Award (2002)
• Faculty Fellow of the Center for Social Concerns (2000-2004)
• Carnegie Scholar of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (1999-2000)
• President's award for dedicated service to the University of Notre Dame (1999)
• Shilts/Leonard Teaching award for outstanding teacher in the College of Science at the University of Notre Dame (1999)
• Thomas P. Madden award for outstanding teacher in the First Year of Studies at the University of Notre Dame (1998)
• Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow (1993-1995)
• Phi Beta Kappa
• Outstanding Senior in Chemistry, University of California at Irvine
• Phi Lambda Upsilon (Honorary Chemical Society)
• Sigma Pi Sigma (Honorary Physics Society)

• American Chemical Society (ACS)
• American Vacuum Society (AVS)
• American Physical Society (APS)
• American Association of Higher Education (AAHE)
• American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)

Exploration into the dynamics of fundamental nonthermal processes at the gas/solid interface:

• Ion/surface collisions initiate electron transfer, dissociative scattering, and atom abstraction reactions. Experiments directly measure the effects that initial translational and vibrational energies, internuclear-axis direction, and impact site exert on the reactivity of a molecular ion at a metal, semiconductor, oxide, or polymer surface. Through experiments and model simulations, the detailed atomic motion associated with hyperthermal molecule/surface reactions is elucidated.
  
• As an alternative approach to initiating surface chemical reactions under nonthermal conditions, nanoscale devices are fabricated to deliver ballistic substrate electrons to the vacuum/solid interface. The optimal design and application of these metal-insulator-metal devices is under investigation.

Exploration into the ways college students learn chemistry in different classroom settings.

• Studies have been conducted to assess the impact of having General Chemistry students collaborate in small groups to solve challenging problems.
• A systematic study has been undertaken to learn how remote keypad technology can be employed, within a large lecture section of General Chemistry, to advance students' conceptual understanding and self-confidence.
• In a collaboration with community partner organizations, students collect dust, soil, and water samples from area homes to identify and reduce the risk of lead poisoning among children. To what extent does a community-based learning experience promote students' commitment to be civically engaged?
• A national survey of undergraduate students and their instructors is providing comprehensive data on the usage and educational impact of textbook resources. The free web-based survey tool (www.textrev.com) helps education professionals make informed pedagogical decisions.