David Hickey returned to the University of Utah’s Department of Chemistry this week to share new research at the forefront of molecular electrochemistry. Hickey, now an assistant professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at Michigan State University, completed his postdoctoral training at the U, and his seminar marked a homecoming that highlighted both scientific progress and the department’s ongoing impact on early‑career scholars.
His talk, "Molecular Design at Electrochemical Interfaces: Structure–Property Relationships in Redox‑Active Organic Molecules", explored how subtle molecular features shape electrochemical behavior in ways that traditional thermodynamics cannot fully predict.
Hickey’s research group at MSU has been developing quantitative relationships that connect molecular structure to electron‑transfer kinetics, solvation, and stability. A central focus of the seminar was a family of pyridinium‑based redox‑active molecules for nonaqueous energy‑storage systems. By systematically varying molecular architecture, his team has shown how steric shielding, ion pairing, and intermolecular interactions can shift electron‑transfer rates and transport properties by orders of magnitude. These insights point toward more rational design strategies for organic redox materials in grid‑scale batteries.
He also highlighted how the same design principles extend to bioelectrochemical systems. His lab is creating electrochemically regenerable NADH biomimetics—artificial cofactors engineered not simply to mimic biology, but to function as tunable redox molecules. This approach has yielded design rules that balance stability, selective hydride transfer, and compatibility with enzymatic pathways, opening new possibilities for sustainable synthesis.
Hickey’s visit emphasized the department’s strong tradition of training scientists who go on to shape emerging research areas. His seminar offered a compelling look at how molecular‑level insights can drive innovation across energy storage, catalysis, and bioelectrochemistry, and it was a welcome opportunity for the Utah chemistry community to reconnect with a distinguished alumnus.
