Susan M. King

Biography

Susan M. King, Ph.D., is Professor of Teaching in the Department of Chemistry at the University of California, Irvine. King received her Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1989, where she worked with Professor Stephen L. Buchwald on organozirconium-based strategies for organic synthesis. Her teaching career at UCI spans over three decades, beginning as a Lecturer in 1989 and transitioning to Professor of Teaching in 2019.

King has developed several educational innovations in organic chemistry instruction. She created Chemistry 51P, an online preparatory course for organic chemistry that serves 400-700 students annually at no tuition cost. Her complete organic chemistry lecture series (Chemistry 51A-C) was filmed for the OpenChem initiative and is freely available through UCI OpenCourseWare, serving students worldwide and being incorporated into California community colleges' Zero Textbook Cost Program. King was the first adopter of the Sapling Learning online homework system at UCI and authored over 130 problems for the platform. She has also implemented adaptive grading methods in her courses to create more equitable assessment systems.

King has published 13 peer-reviewed journal articles, including several in the Journal of Chemical Education focused on undergraduate laboratory experiments and online course design. She has served on numerous university committees, including the Board on Undergraduate Scholarships, Honors & Financial Aid and the Academic Integrity Review Board. King is currently President of Phi Beta Kappa at UCI and has been a member of the American Chemical Society since 1989. She was inducted into the Edison High School Alumni Hall of Fame in 2018 and has received multiple teaching awards, including the Dean's Honoree for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching in 2018 and 2025.

Education

• Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1989
• B.S. in Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, 1985

Distinctions

• Phi Beta Kappa, 1985
• UCI FATE (Faculty Academy for Teaching Excellence and Innovation) Fellow, Inaugural member, 2022-2023
• Society of Sigma Xi, 1989
• Dean's Honoree: Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, Celebration Teaching Award, UCI Division of Teaching and Learning, 2018, 2025
• Department of Chemistry Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education, 2015
• Excellence in Teaching Award, National Society of Leadership and Success, 2014
• Inducted into Edison High School Alumni Hall of Fame, Huntington Beach, CA, 2018
• Outstanding Professor, School of Physical Sciences, 2002, 2004
• Honorary Member Golden Key National Honor Society, 1999
• Professor of the Month, Campus Village, 2003