Daniel R. Derringer

Daniel (Dan) R. Derringer is a professor of chemistry at Hollins University. His journey into academia began at Kalamazoo College, a small liberal arts institution where he first discovered the power of close-knit learning communities and undergraduate research. After earning his Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry in 1989, he returned to Kalamazoo for a one-year postdoctoral fellowship funded by the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, an initiative designed to inspire recent Ph.D.s to pursue careers at primarily undergraduate institutions. There, he taught and collaborated with his former advisor to mentor student researchers. Dan’s passion lies in exploring the structural, spectroscopic, and electrochemical properties of transition metal complexes. His work bridges the theoretical and the tangible, offering students hands-on experience with the intricacies of inorganic chemistry. He remains deeply committed to the mission of liberal arts education, where teaching and research go hand in hand, and where curiosity is cultivated in every lab and lecture hall. Dan serves as a co-PI for Hollins University’s S-STEM-funded Artemis Scholarship Program for Women in STEM.