Professor Nicholas Ball

Professor Nicholas Ball
Department of Chemistry
Pomona College

Activating Excellence Through Chemistry

Dr. Nicholas Ball is an Associate professor of Chemistry at Pomona College. In this talk, Dr. Ball will provide an overview of his scientific contributions and highlight his own journey navigating science as a Black, queer person. He will discuss how the intersections of his Black queerness have manifested in an abundance mindset and practice that aims to provide accessible, inclusive training grounds for students while pushing the frontiers of science.

Nicholas Ball

Prof. Nicholas Ball grew up in Chattanooga, TN. He received his B.A. in Chemistry at Macalester College in 2005. He completed his Ph.D. in 2011 under Prof. Melanie Sanford at the University of Michigan, working on C–F and C–CF3 bond formation using high- oxidation-state palladium. In 2010, he headed to the California Institute of Technology to pursue his postdoctoral studies with Prof. David Tirrell as an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow. Prof. Ball started as an ssistant Professor at Amherst College in 2013. In 2015, Prof. Ball joined the faculty at Pomona College and is now an Associate Professor of Chemistry with tenure. His current research focuses on developing new methods to make and use sulfur-based molecules for drug targets, biological chemical probes, and materials science. His lab’s work involves making molecules, machine learning, and computational chemistry. His work features collaborations with industry and internationally, as well as with professors at other predominantly undergraduate institutions. Prof. Ball’s honors and awards include the Henry Dreyfus TeacherScholar Award, 2022 Chemical and Engineering News LGBTQ+ trailblazer, and a two-time Wig Distinguished Professor awardee (2018 and 2024). His research has been funded by NIH, NSF, and the American Chemical Society.

Join us for a reception at Fraser Hall after the seminar, from 5–7 p.m.!

Hosted by Professor Courtney Roberts