Isaiah Speight | Assistant Professor of Chemistry
William & Mary

Dr. Isaiah Speight is a native of Portsmouth, Virginia in the Hampton-Roads area. He earned his B.S. in chemistry in 2016 from Norfolk State University as a DNIMAS Scholar. During this time, he did undergraduate research in polymer synthesis with Prof. Olufemi Oyesana at NSU and carbohydrate synthesis at Vanderbilt University with Prof. Steve Townsend. Isaiah then moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he completed his Ph.D. as a Provost’s Graduate Fellow at Vanderbilt University with Prof. Timothy Hanusa. During his time as a Ph.D. student, Isaiah developed new mechanochemical methods for making inorganic and organometallic compounds. Following his doctoral work, Isaiah became a NIGMS Postdoctoral Fellow at University of California, Irvine. Isaiah joined AbbVie as a Visiting Scientist in Operations, Science & Technology as a part of the New Chemistry and Continuous Improvement group where his work focused on green synthesis of pharmaceutical targets. Currently, Isaiah is an assistant professor of chemistry at William & Mary in Williamsburg, VA. His research group focuses on sustainable chemistry at the intersections of environmental, financial, and educational sustainability by developing new chemical methods, 3D printing of research equipment, and exploring innovative classroom techniques. His group is also a part of the NSF Center for Mechanical Control of Chemistry. In addition to his bench work, Isaiah is a faculty mentor for the William & Mary SURE program which provides research opportunities to first year students and guides them through the college experience.