People

William R. McNamara

wrmcnamara@wm.edu
Wilson & Martha Claiborne Stephens Associate Professor of Chemistry

Education:

B.S. Lafayette College, 2006
Ph.D. Yale University 2010

Honors:

• 2019 Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award
• 2018 NSF Career Award
• 2015 GRC Predominately Undergraduate Institution Award

Todd Reynolds grew up in Temple, Texas. He attended William & Mary as an undergraduate student with a Chemistry major and Mathematics minor. Todd then joined the McNamara lab in Summer 2023 as a graduate student and has since worked on biomimetic iron and cobalt complexes. He has a passion for x-ray crystallography and enjoys research into organometallic complexes. Todd plans on continuing studies in X-ray crystallography and solid-state chemistry.

Jake Swery grew up in Ottawa, Canada. As a William & Mary undergraduate, he is a double major in Chemistry and Theatre. Jake joined the McNamara lab in Spring 2022 as a freshman, and has since worked on many vanadium, manganese, and iron complexes. He has a passion for scientific research that has a positive environmental impact, working towards renewable energy and combatting climate change.

Sarah Gresham is a student from San Antonio, Texas who is majoring in chemistry and minoring in mathematics. She joined the McNamara Lab in the spring of 2023 and she is currently working on developing ligands for heavy metal detection in water sources. Sarah enjoys the sport of fencing and is passionate about using inorganic chemistry to protect the environment.

Kieran Loftis grew up in San Francisco and is double majoring in chemistry and environmental science. Kieran joined the lab in Fall 2022 as a sophomore and is currently working on developing his own ligand for hydrogen generation. He enjoys music, sports, and the outdoors – he plans on pursuing a career in environmental protection and research.

James Holliday is a Chemistry Major/Data Science Minor from New Orleans, Louisiana. James joined the McNamara lab in Spring 2024 as a Junior, having previously worked as an assistant for graduate biochemistry researchers at Tulane University’s Janan Group over Summer 2023. He used to work with custom DNA and rotaxanes and currently makes and tests electrocatalytic polypyridyl iron complexes. He is most interested in organic chemistry and puts that passion toward synthesizing ligands when not working as a teaching assistant in organic chemistry lab.

Mily Gohn is a rising senior from Madison, VA. She is majoring in Chemistry and minoring in history. She joined the McNamara lab as a sophomore in Fall 2022 and has worked on a variety of projects from ligand synthesis to photochemical experiments. Mily has loved developing her chemistry skills and a passion for environmental issues from her work in the McNamara lab.

Shinwoo Jeon is majoring in chemistry and minoring in physics. Shinwoo joined the McNamara lab in Fall 2022 as a sophomore and has worked on catalysts for hydrogen generation with manganese complexes. He enjoys playing and officiating sports like basketball and soccer and is currently pursuing a career in medicine, specifically in surgery.

Grace LaFrancois is from Sterling, VA. She is an undergraduate at William and Mary, majoring in chemistry. Grace has been working in the McNamara lab since the fall of 2023 when she started as a freshman. Her primary focus in the lab has been on metal detection in water. Grace is excited to be working in a lab with an emphasis on environmental chemistry and enjoys the challenge of lab work and creative problem solving.

Mason Morris grew up in Alexandria VA. majoring in chemistry, Mason joined the lab in the spring of 2024 as a freshman and is currently working on an iron complex for hydrogen generation. He enjoys listening to music, reading, and the outdoors.