Dr. Megan Nagel

Assistant Professor, analytical chemistry

B.S. Slippery Rock State University
Ph.D. Penn State University

Research Interests

My research interests are in the area of polymer chemistry. I am fascinated by the application of polymeric materials in our everyday lives. One role of a polymer chemist is to discover new materials with superior properties. I am specifically interested in developing new polymers that contain polar and non-polar monomers along a single polymer chain. This would present an entirely new class of polymeric materials that are expected to have a wide variety of new and desirable properties including toughness, adhesion, printability, and chemical/solvent resistance. In addition to developing the materials, it is also important to do so cheaply and under as mild of conditions as possible while still maintaining control over the polymerization process.

Teaching Interests

My principal teaching area is in the field of analytical chemistry. Currently, I will teach Quantitative Chemical Analysis in the fall and Instrumental Analysis in the spring. I also currently teach an introductory chemistry course for nursing majors.

Brief Biography

I grew up just east of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and attended Slippery Rock University where I earned my B.S. in chemistry. I then moved to State College, Pennsylvania to receive my Ph.D. from Penn State University. While living in State College, I married my husband, Micah and in 2005 we got to see the Pittsburgh Steelers win their fifth Super Bowl! Micah and I (along with our cat, Smiley) moved to Maplewood, MN in the summer of 2006, and I began teaching in the fall.

Recent Publications

“Intermediacy of Radicals in Rearrangement and Decomposition of Metal-Alkyl Species: Relevance to Metal-Mediated Polymerization of Polar Vinyl Monomers”, M. L. Nagel and A. Sen, Organometallics, 25, 4722 - 4724 (2006).