Dr. Ryan Fornwald
Asst. Professor
Office Hours:
Office Location:
WSTN 3109
Office Hours:
All office hours by appointment.
Dr. Ryan Fornwald is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Northern Michigan University. He was raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and attended Northern Michigan University, graduating with a degree in Computer Science. Having long had an interest in chemistry, he then researched transition metal-catalyzed reactions at the University of Michigan. Realizing his passion for chemistry, he pursued a Ph.D. at Michigan State University under the direction of Dr. Milton Smith III., investigating diboron-mediated reductive couplings of imines, using computational chemistry to shed light on the selectivity of these reactions. While pursuing this work, he also taught classes ranging from inorganic to organic chemistry, focusing on making these topics both fun and unintimidating – as they should be!
At Northern Michigan University, he is thrilled to have the opportunity to continue making chemistry exciting and accessible to students and to expand his main group inorganic chemistry research and its applications in organic synthesis. He is particularly grateful for the opportunity to return to the shores of Lake Superior (a place he calls home) accompanied by an orange tabby named Nitro (nitro compounds are often orange!).