Trinity College recently appointed Adam D. Hill assistant professor of chemistry, one of 10 new tenure-track faculty members this year.
Hill first became interested in the chemistry of metals through high school art courses. As an undergraduate at Trinity, he worked with Associate Professor of Chemistry Maria L. Parr ’90 to study ancient potshards using electron microscopy and with Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus, David E. Henderson to trace well water contamination.
“I’m most looking forward to working with the next generation of Trinity students on the kinds of research projects in which my own love of science was ignited,” Hill said. “Working hands-on with independent mentored research projects is where so many Trinity students really engage and develop in their chosen discipline; I learned this firsthand through first-year research in the Interdisciplinary Science Program.”
After earning his Ph.D. and joining the faculty of St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, Hill took a sabbatical at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab’s Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, and his research shifted to focus on the development of devices to mimic photosynthesis.
Hill’s scholarship uses lasers and nanomaterials to reveal the core principles underlying the next generation of renewable, carbon-neutral energy sources. “Trinity’s students care a lot about our planet’s future, and this work involves them in finding large-scale solutions to climate and energy challenges,” he said. “The Hill Lab provides young scientists with authentic experiences building a deeper understanding of how reality operates.”
