John W. Thoman Jr.

John Thoman was born and raised in Rochester, New York. He received his B.A. in chemistry from Williams College and earned his Ph.D. from MIT. After a postdoctoral fellowship with Dave Chandler at the Combustion Research Facility in Livermore California, he returned to Williams College to join the faculty. His research employs laser spectroscopy to investigate the dynamics of small molecules. Working with colleagues, he also studies the chemistry of the local environment. Thoman teaches introductory, physical, and environmental chemistry, a course on the chemistry and physics of cooking, and a January-term course “Glass and Glassblowing”. He served for a decade on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) Committee.