• Biography

    Prof. Davis grew up in New Mexico, where the abundant sunshine perhaps fueled his interest in how light interacts with matter. He pursued undergraduate studies at Colorado State, where he became fascinated with spectroscopy working with Prof. Nancy Levinger. He received his PhD from the University of Colorado working with Prof. Margaret Tolbert studying aerosol phase transformations. As postdoctoral fellow, he studied accelerated chemical reactivity in microdroplets at Berkeley Labs with Dr. Kevin Wilson. In 2018, he joined the faculty of Trinity, where he is in his dream job: engaging with motivated students, connecting with the broader community, and pursuing meaningful research studying the physicochemical properties of micro-environments to address global issues in environmental and  public health.

    • Postdoc in Physical Chemistry, Lawrence Berkeley National Labs
    • PhD in Atmospheric/Analytical Chemistry, University of Colorado
    • BS in Chemistry, Colorado State University
    • “Colliding-droplet microreactor: rapid on-demand inertial mixing and metal-catalyzed aqueous-phase oxidation processes.” Davis RD, Jacobs MI, Houle FA, Wilson KR (2017) Analytical Chemistry 89(22): 12494-12501. DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.7b03601. Highlighted in Chemical and Engineering News, 95(46): 16-18 (Nov. 20, 2017 issue).
    • “Exploring chemistry in microcompartments using guided droplet collisions in a branched quadrupole trap coupled to a single droplet, paper spray mass spectrometer.” Jacobs MI, Davies JF, Lee L, Davis RD, Houle FA, Wilson KR (2017) Analytical Chemistry 89(22): 12511-12519. DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.7b03704. Highlighted in Chemical and Engineering News, 95(46): 16-18 (Nov. 20, 2017 issue).
    • “Crystal nucleation initiated by transient ion-surface interactions at aerosol interfaces.” Davis RD, Tolbert MA (2017) Science Advances 3(7):e1700425, DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1700425. 
    • “Contact efflorescence as a pathway for crystallization of atmospherically relevant particles.” Davis RD, Lance S, Gordon JA, Ushijima SB, Tolbert MA (2015) Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 112(52):15815-15820, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1522860113.
    • “Long working-distance optical trap for in situ analysis of contact-induced phase transformations.” Davis RD, Lance S, Gordon JA, Tolbert MA (2015) Analytical Chemistry 87:6186-6194, DOI: 10.1021/acs.anal chem.5b00809.
    • Physical, Analytical, and Atmospheric Chemistry