Rollin King
Email: rking@bethel.edu
Job Titles
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Professor of Chemistry, Department Chair
Chemistry , College of Arts and Sciences
Highlight
King's research is in the area of computational chemistry, which is the application of quantum mechanics using the tools of modern computing to solve problems in chemistry. He is a primary developer of the PSI4 quantum chemistry package, collaborating with scientists around the world to develop open-source software. King's current research focuses on the modeling polymers for organic photovoltaic cells, determining molecular stereochemistry by computing spectroscopic properties, generating machine-readable output for processing large numbers of computations, and developing efficient algorithms for geometry optimization. Guest Professor at the prestigious ETH-Zurich in both 2008 and 2014, he is the author of over 35 peer-reviewed publications.
Started at Bethel
2001
Education
- Huntington College - B.S.S. in Chemistry, Mathematics, 1995
- University of Georgia - Ph.D. in Chemistry, 1999
Biography
Dr. King and his wife, April are both from Indiana and met each other while attending Huntington University as undergraduates. Subsequently, they pursued graduate studies at the University of Georgia. After a year and a half living in Zurich (Switzerland) and Cambridge (UK), they moved to Minnesota in 2001. April is a practicing lawyer in the area of trusts and estates. They have three teenagers - two daughters and a son.
Dr. King's scientific expertise is in the area of computational quantum chemistry, which is the application of the physical laws of quantum mechanics to chemistry. By developing mathematical algorithms and implementing them on modern computer platforms, we can provide a powerful theoretical toolkit that complements traditional experiments. Computations can assist experimental work by determining such properties as molecular structures, reaction energies, and spectroscopic properties (how molecules interact with light).
Progress in this area depends on knowledge of mathematics, physics, chemistry and computer science. Particular projects may focus on the invention of new theoretical approaches and their implementation into computer programs, or with the direct application of existing methods to study chemical problems. Dr. King has helped many past research students find attractive summer and graduate research positions, and several of these students have gone on to graduate work in theoretical chemistry.
Awards
- Postdoctoral Research Associate 1999, ETH-Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology)
- Postdoctoral Research Associate 2000, Cambridge University
- Supported by the NSF's Research Site for Educators in Chemistry program (through the Univ. of Minnesota), 2005
- Supported by the Minnesota Supercomputing Institute, 2005-present
- Visiting Scientist 2002 and 2004, Virginia Tech University
- Visiting Scientist 2007 and 2008, University of Georgia
- Guest Professor 2008 and 2014, ETH-Zurich
Professional Organizations, Committees, and Boards
- American Chemical Society
- Alpha Chi National Honor Society
- Minnesota Academy of Sciences
- American Scientific Affiliation
- Minnesota Science Teachers Association
Research interests
King's research is in the area of computational quantum chemistry, which is the application of quantum mechanics using the tools of modern computing to solve problems in chemistry. He is a primary software developer of the PSI4 quantum chemistry package, collaborating with scientists around the world. King's current research focuses on modeling of polymers in organic photovoltaic cells, the chiro-optical properties of molecules in solution, the generation of machine-readable output for processing large numbers of computations, and efficient algorithms for geometry optimization. Guest Professor at the prestigious ETH-Zurich in both 2008 and 2014, he is the author of 35 peer-reviewed publications.