About Prof Goh – The C. Goh Lab

Professor Christopher Goh

Professor of Chemistry & Director of Summer Science Program

Christopher Goh received a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree majoring in Chemistry from the University of Durham, U.K., and his Ph.D. from the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology Harvard University, MA, under the guidance of Prof. Richard Holm. Following graduate work in bioinorganic chemistry studying the cofactors of the enzyme nitrogenase, Chris spent two years as a post-doctoral researcher at the Polymer Science and Engineering Department at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst, before joining the start-up company Symyx Technologies in Silicon Valley. After working at Symyx for 6 years applying combinatorial research methods to the discovery of speciality polymers and polyolefin catalysts, Chris moved back to MA and joined the Williams College chemistry department in 2008.

Teaching and Research Interests

Prof. Goh has taught the first-semester courses CHEM 151 Introductory Chemistry and CHEM 155 Principles of Modern Chemistry, and upper-level elective courses in inorganic and organometallic chemistry CHEM 335, bio-inorganic chemistry CHEM 338 and instrumental methods of analysis CHEM 364 as well as winter study classes introducing students to research and a course on interpersonal communication.

Chris’ research interests most broadly center around the role of metals and have included work on mimicking metal-containing active sites of enzymes, on the design of homogeneous metal catalysts and more recently, on polymers for removing heavy metals from the environment. For all projects, our focus is on how we can use our knowledge of coordination chemistry to design and make better catalysts, materials etc. At the heart of each project are the examination of factors that influence the performance and properties of the metal and the iterative process of testing strategies for improving the system. More than 50 Williams undergraduates have participated in research projects to date, and many presented their work at regional and national conferences. Their work led to publications co-authored with students and support from funding agencies such as the ACS-Petroleum Research Fund, the Hellman Foundation and the Research Corporation for Science Advancement.
Chris has spent sabbaticals with Prof. Geoff Coates at Cornell University and teaching at Yale-NUS College in Singapore.

Interests Outside the Classroom and Lab

Outside the world of molecules, Chris directs Williams College’s Summer Science Program, a pre-first year experience for incoming Williams students from historically underrepresented groups and first-generation college students. He also just completed a 5-year stint as a Faculty Fellow of the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and the Davis Center, and has contributed to the efforts of these offices. He advised student groups including BSTEM and OURSTEM+. He grew up in a multicultural household in Europe and South-East Asia, and came to the United States as a graduate student. Formative experiences included high school at the United World College of South-East Asia, participating in Children’s International Summer Villages, Outward Bound, NOLS, Vipassana and the Co-Active Leadership programs, as well as the many interactions with our students, and staff and faculty colleagues here at Williams and elsewhere.

Chris loves the outdoors and working in the garden, he is a life-long fan of Liverpool FC (and gets emotional when he hears YNWA) and the Mannschaft, and supports the USWNT fight for gender equity in sports (and the many other efforts).

Select Publications

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Get In Touch

Williams College Chemistry Office: TCL 111 Lab: MSL 146

[email protected]

Office: (413) 597-2387Lab: (413) 597-4341