Richard D. McCullough

{{Short description|American chemist and University Administrator}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Richard McCullough | birth_name = Richard Dean McCullough | image = Richard McCullough Florida State White House 2026.jpg | caption = McCullough in 2026 | office = 16th President of Florida State University | term_start = August 16, 2021 | term_end = | predecessor = John E. Thrasher | successor = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1959|4|9}} | birth_place = Dallas, Texas, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | education = University of Texas, Dallas (BS)<br>Johns Hopkins University (MS, PhD) | module = {{Infobox academic |child = yes |workplaces = Florida State University<br>Harvard University<br>Carnegie Mellon University |doctoral_advisor = Dwaine O. Cowan |thesis_title = Synthesis and development of heterocyclic chalcogen pi-donor molecules as components for organic metals |thesis_url = https://catalyst.library.jhu.edu/catalog/bib_1170371 |thesis_year = 1998 |doctoral_students = |notable_students = ''Undergrads:'' {{plainlist| * Jill Millstone }} ''Post-docs:'' {{plainlist| * Malika Jeffries-EL<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Jeffries-El|first1=Malika|last2=Sauvé|first2=Geneviève|last3=McCullough|first3=Richard D.|date=2005|title=Facile Synthesis of End-Functionalized Regioregular Poly(3-alkylthiophene)s via Modified Grignard Metathesis Reaction|journal=Macromolecules|language=en|volume=38|issue=25|pages=10346–10352|doi=10.1021/ma051096q|bibcode=2005MaMol..3810346J|issn=0024-9297}}</ref> }} }} }}

'''Richard Dean McCullough''' (born April 9, 1959) is an American chemist and entrepreneur who is the president of Florida State University. He previously served as Vice Provost for Research at Harvard University,<ref>{{Cite news |author= Colen, B.D. |url=https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2012/09/harvard-names-vice-provost-for-research/|title=Harvard Names Vice Provost for Research |newspaper= Harvard Gazette |date= 13 September 2012 |access-date= 24 March 2016}}</ref> where he was also a professor of Materials Science and Engineering in the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.<ref name=gs>{{Google scholar id}}</ref> In 2021 McCullough was selected to serve as the 16th president of Florida State University after the retirement of former President John E. Thrasher. He assumed office on August 16, 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.fsu.edu/news/2021/05/24/richard-mccullough-selected-next-president-of-florida-state-university|title = Richard McCullough selected next president of Florida State University|date = 24 May 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |publisher=Florida State University News |date=June 23, 2021 |title=Board of Governors confirms Richard McCullough as 16th president of Florida State University |url=https://news.fsu.edu/news/university-news/2021/06/23/board-of-governors-confirms-richard-mccullough-as-16th-president-of-florida-state-university/}}</ref>

McCullough is best known for his work in developing printable electronic materials. McCullough was the Vice President for Research at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh from 2007 to 2012, where he had previously served as the Dean of the Mellon College of Science, and head of the Department of Chemistry.

== Early life and education == McCullough was born in Dallas, Texas in 1959. He received his B.S. in chemistry from the University of Texas, Dallas in 1982 and earned his Ph.D. in chemistry under Dwaine O. Cowan at Johns Hopkins University in 1988.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |title=President Richard McCullough |url=https://president.fsu.edu/president/richard-mccullough/ |access-date=2022-09-10 |website=Office of the President |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite thesis |type=PhD |last1=McCullough |first1=Richard Dean |title=Synthesis and development of heterocyclic chalcogen pi-donor molecules as components for organic metals |date=1988 |url=https://www.proquest.com/openview/86a382f692ad658d1c3032d49230e264/ |access-date=23 August 2021 |publisher=Johns Hopkins University |location=Baltimore, MD |language=en |oclc=83432596}}</ref> He was a postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University for two years.<ref name="auto"/>

== Research and career == McCullough's research at Carnegie Mellon University focused on the self-assembly and synthesis of highly conductive organic polymers and oligimers, conjugated polymer sensors, nanoelectronic assembly and fabrication of molecular circuits and transistors, printable metals, new design methods and the synthesis of organic-inorganic hybrid nanomagnets and high-spin materials, crystal engineering and novel nanocrystalline semiconductor materials. In 1991, the McCullough group reported the first synthesis of regioregular head-to-tail coupled poly (3-alkylthiophenes).<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=McCullough|first1=R.D.|last2=Lowe|first2=R.D.|last3=Jayaraman|first3=M.|last4=Anderson|first4=D.L.|year=1993|title=Design, Synthesis, and Control of Conducting Polymer Architectures: Structurally Homogeneous Poly(3-alkylthiophenes)|journal=Journal of Organic Chemistry|volume=58|issue=4|pages=904–912|doi=10.1021/jo00056a024}}</ref>

=== Awards and honors === As co-founder and chief scientific officer for Plextronics, McCullough received the 2006 Carnegie Science Center Start-Up Entrepreneur Award.<ref>{{cite web |title= Carnegie Science Awards Awardees 1997-2010 |url= http://www.carnegiesciencecenter.org/community/images/awardex_past.pdf |website= Carnegie Science Center |location= Pittsburgh, PA |access-date= 24 March 2016 }}</ref> McCullough is a member of the American Chemical Society, receiving its Akron Award in 2002 and its Pittsburgh Award in 2007. In 2014, he was elected to the National Academy of Inventors.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/newsplus/three-join-national-academy-of-inventors/ |title=Three join National Academy of Inventors |newspaper= Harvard Gazette |date= 9 January 2015 |access-date= 24 March 2016}}</ref> McCullough has published over one hundred articles, books, and book chapters and serves on the editorial boards of ''Advanced Materials'' and ''Advanced Electronic Materials''.<ref name="GRP">{{cite web |title=Dr. Richard D. McCullough |url=http://www.chem.cmu.edu/groups/mccullough/mccullough/ |website=The McCullough Group |publisher=Carnagie-Mellon |access-date=27 January 2025}}</ref>

== Personal life == McCullough is married with two sons and lives with his wife, Jai Vartikar, PhD, in Tallahassee, Florida.<ref>{{Cite web |title=First Lady Jai Vartikar |url=https://president.fsu.edu/president/first-lady-jai-vartikar/ |access-date=2022-09-10 |website=Office of the President |language=en-US |archive-date=2022-09-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220910170544/https://president.fsu.edu/president/first-lady-jai-vartikar/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

While living in Pittsburgh, McCullough lived near Fred Rogers and appeared on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood three times with his son.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdNJnhV1agY FSU May 6, 2 PM Graduation speech], timestamp 2:11:01</ref>

==References== {{Reflist|30em}}

==External links== {{Commons category}}

{{s-start}} {{s-aca}} {{s-bef|before=John E. Thrasher}} {{s-ttl|title=President of Florida State University|years=2021–present}} {{s-inc}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCullough, Richard}} Category:1959 births Category:Living people Category:Presidents of Florida State University Category:21st-century American chemists Category:Johns Hopkins University alumni Category:University of Texas at Dallas alumni Category:Harvard University faculty