Abstract:

Vanadium coordination chemistry is a vast field with many niches. Although not that prevalent on earth, vanadium has found many uses. This seminar will share the results of two distinct avenues of inquiry involving similar vanadium-containing starting materials and the branching in studies performed and potential applications. At the heart of it all is coordination chemistry. In broad terms, the two projects presented here involve materials science and biology/biochemistry. The use of facially directing scorpionate and pseudo-scorpionate ligands to make vanadium coordination complexes will be discussed as will the characterization, reactivity, oxidative catalytic activity, and phosphatase inhibition activity of the novel complexes. Some time will also be dedicated to discussing the presenter’s career path into higher education research administration and highlighting careers in research administration.

Speaker Bio:

Craig C. McLauchlan is a Professor in the Chemistry department at Illinois State University in Normal, IL USA. He received his A.B. from Harvard and his Ph.D. from Northwestern and started his career at ISU in 2002. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2008 and to Professor in 2013. McLauchlan has taught courses in general and inorganic chemistry at all levels in the chemistry department at ISU and he has lectured to over one thousand students and also mentored over thirty students in his research laboratory. McLauchlan has received several teaching awards, including the Illinois State 2005-2006 University Teaching Initiative Award and the 2012 Outstanding University Teacher award. McLauchlan’s research group focuses on coordination chemistry involving vanadium, among other metals, for use as oxidation catalysts and/or enzyme inhibition. More recently he has used his training in X-ray crystallography to examine coordination chemistry and bioinorganic chemistry areas, including those involving decavanadate. Among other society memberships (AAAS, ACA, ACS, APLU, ΣΞ, NCURA), he is on the International Vanadium Symposium International Advisory Board and is currently the Secretary. He served as Chair of the Department at ISU from 2013 to 2020 (the first three years as Interim Chair), and as the Senior Research Officer for ISU from July of 2020 until November of 2025. He resumed his role as a full-time faculty member in December of 2025.