Kevin Noonan

Expertise

Topics:  Polymer Chemistry, Organophosphorus Chemistry, Homogeneous Catalysis, Organometallics

Industries: Chemicals

Kevin Noonan's research is focused on the synthesis of new compounds possessing main group elements to impact polymer chemistry and catalysis. The advent of synthetic polymer chemistry has had an enormous impact on our modern world. Though most commercial polymeric materials are made from organic synthons, the incorporation of main group elements or transition metals into polymer backbones can afford materials with unique properties. Sophisticated ligand design can offer mechanistic insight to known reactions while also leading to new catalytic activity. His research aims to build unique ligand frameworks using organophosphorus chemistry and apply these in catalyst systems, exploring many areas of catalysis including polyolefin synthesis and the development of methodologies to prepare functional organic substrates.

Media Experience

Chemistry Outreach Catalyzes CMU Students To Share STEM Joy  — Carnegie Mellon University
"We really believe in getting science to students at all levels and to get people excited about it," Noonan said. Plus, his students take away something from the experience as well.

Xun Earns K&L Gates Award  — Carnegie Mellon University
"It is rare to have someone walk into that kind of space and be a true force, always pressing forward and making progress," Noonan said. "Now, she is a co-author on a paper and she determined how to make a class of compounds that are essentially unknown. She accomplished this with only 10 hours a week working through the semesters. I can only imagine what she could accomplish in a full-time role."

Chemists-build-a-zoo-of-new-polymer-building-blocks  — C&EN
“Chemists are fascinated by perturbations in conjugated architectures that in turn impact physical and electronic properties,” Noonan pointed out. “Trying to utilize a wider portion of the periodic table to manipulate π electron frameworks offers opportunities for exciting new discoveries. We thought bringing people together would inspire additional new directions in the field.”