Dr. Craig MacKinnon

Dr. Craig MacKinnon

Department: 
Email: 
cmackinn@lakeheadu.ca
Phone Number: 
+1 807-343-8010ext. 8327
+1 807-343-8010ext. 8496
Office Location: 
CB-4038 (office)
CB-2031A (lab)
Academic Qualifications: 
  • 1992 BSc (Honours) in Chemistry, Dalhousie University

Honours Project Supervisors: Neil Burford, Russell J. Boyd
Thesis: Non-Octet Pnicogen Centres: Cationic Carbene Analogues

  • 1997 PhD in Inorganic Chemistry, Guelph-Waterloo

Centre for Graduate Work in Chemistry, Guelph Campus
Supervisor: Richard T. Oakley
Thesis: Synthesis and Characterisation of Molecular Conductors

Date joined Lakehead: 
2001
Previous Teaching/Work: 
  • 2006 - Present - Associate Professor of Chemistry, Lakehead University
  • 2013 - 2014 - Assistant Dean of Science and Environmental Studies
  • 2001 - 2005 - Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Lakehead University
  • 1999 - 2001 - Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Trent University
  • 1997-1999 Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Chemistry, University of Calgary
    Supervisor: Warren E. Piers, Project: Catalytic Dehydrocoupling of Tellurium with Stannyl Hydrides
  • 1992 NSERC Summer Research Assistant, Department of Chemistry, Dalhousie University
    Supervisor: Donald R. Arnold
    Project: Photochemistry of Trimethylsilylbenzene
  • 1991 Summer Research Assistant, Department of Chemistry, Dalhousie University
    Supervisor: Neil Burford
    Project: Geometry of Divalent Oxygen Centres
Research Interests: 

We are looking at a number of compounds called oligomers for the purpose of finding new semiconducting materials.  Oligomers are short-chain polymers, in our case they contain less than 10 monomer units.  Our research can be subdivided into a number of projects:

  • attachement of functional groups (nitrile, aldehyde, etc.) to well-known oligomers (oligothiophene, -phenyl, etc.) to determine influence of functional group on solid-state packing patterns
  • synthesis of new, synthetically challenging oligomers that contain only one type of monomer
  • coordination and organometallic chemistry of end-capped oligomers with transition metals

For more information, see my Research Program!

 

Memberships:

Member: Canadian Society of Chemistry, American Chemical Society
Member at large (Undergraduate Curriculum), Division of Inorganic Chemistry, CSC

Check out the Inorganic Lab Bank