Chemistry Faculty
The chemistry faculty at TLU are always interested in hearing from prospective, current, and former students. Click on any of our names below to send us an email about studying chemistry or anything chemistry related. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! 
William M. Davis, associate professor and chair; bachelor of science from The University of Western Ontario, masters and doctorate degrees from The University of Guelph.
Dr. Davis is a physical chemist with research interests in computational chemistry, including new developments in Density Functional Theory and applications of theoretical chemistry to molecules of real world chemical interest.
He has taught General Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Computational Chemistry and Environmental Chemistry at The University of Texas at Brownsville for 10 years. While there he was sponsor of the ACS Student Affiliates Chapter and Chair-Elect of the South Texas ACS Section. At TLU his teaching includes General Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Quantum Mechanics, and Computational Chemistry. Dr. Davis is the faculty advisor for Pi Rho, the ACS student affiliate chapter at TLU.
John McClusky, professor and associate provost; bachelor of science from Texas Lutheran University; doctorate from Yale University.
Dr. McClusky is a physical organic chemist with research interests in polymer chemistry, including polyurethanes and organic reaction mechanisms.
His career history includes experience in the chemical industry as a Senior Research Chemist including research in urethanes and other polymers. Dr. McClusky has taught courses in Organic Chemistry, General Chemisty, Astronomy, and Business of Science. He also serves as sponsor of the Astronomy Club at TLU.
Santiago A. Toledo, assistant professor; bachelor of science from Texas Lutheran University; doctorate from the University of Washington.
Dr. Toledo is a bioinorganic chemist trained at the University of Washington. Dr. Toledo worked under the supervision of professor Julie A. Kovacs synthesizing small molecule transition metal analogues of the active site of metalloenzymes. While at UW he mentored several undergraduate students on research and presented their collaborative work at chemical national conferences.
Dr. Toledo's research interest is the biomimetic modeling of metalloenzymes, specifically those containing nickel and zinc metals.His research consists of developing new organic ligand systems and synthesizing the corresponding nickel and zinc complexes in order to study the metal compounds properties and biomimetic relevance.
At TLU his teaching includes General Chemistry, Inorganic chemistry, Introduction to Chemistry, and Probelm Solving in Chemistry.
Mitchell R. White, visiting assistant professor; bachelor of science from Texas Lutheran College; doctorate from the University of Utah.
Dr. White is a physical organic chemist and mathematician, with research interests in organometallics, calorimetry on polymer systems, and statistical modeling. He trained under Dr. Peter J. Stang in carbene chemistry, and developed several classes of novel transition metal complexes during his doctoral research.
Dr. White has spent the majority of his career in industry, first with Dow Chemical as a research chemist and training manager, and then as an independent consultant on process improvement and systems optimization. He’s written and delivered over 150 courses for industrial clients, and taught in over 30 countries on five continents. His academic teaching during this period has included work with the University of Utah, Texas A&M, and Texas Lutheran.
Current research interests lie in adiabatic temperature rise (ATR) calorimetry on polyurethane foam systems of industrial importance. This research includes building innovative calorimeters and measuring heat flow, kinetics and thermodynamics to probe catalytic mechanisms of polymer formation.
At TLU his teaching includes Organic Chemistry, Introduction to Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, and Instrumental Methods.
