Dr. Polly Arnold

Biography

Polly Arnold is a Professor of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, and Director of the Chemical Sciences Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. She received her MA in Chemistry from the University of Oxford in 1994 and her D.Phil. from the University of Sussex in 1997. Arnold has held various academic positions including Lecturer and Reader at the University of Nottingham, and Crum Brown Chair Professor at the University of Edinburgh from 2007 to 2019. Her research focuses on synthetic inorganic and organometallic chemistry, particularly the catalysis involving rare earths and actinides. Arnold's work is significant for developing new catalysts for challenging transformations, including hydrocarbon C-H bond functionalization and converting small molecules into valuable chemical products. She is also involved in understanding the reactivity of f-block elements and their role in applications such as quantum science and nuclear waste management. Arnold's laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities for synthesizing air-sensitive compounds and studying their properties. Her innovative research has been recognized with an OBE and membership in the Royal Society.

Research Interests

Experience