James Cox
He/Him
I am gay and I am an organic chemist. //
Organic chemistry has been my passion ever since I started watching open courseware lectures on YouTube while in the eighth grade. I was so enthralled with how much of everyday life is touched by organic chemistry, from flowers’ dyes to the graphite of pencils. Over the ensuing eight years, my passion for the reactions of carbon-based molecules has barely waned! I am currently pursuing my B.S. in chemistry at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. My favorite parts of the week are spent in the lab, where I research a synthetic strategy to prepare a novel, isotopically labelled analog of a red rylene dye. I plan to go to graduate school after undergrad with the long-term goal of becoming a professor of organic chemistry. By the way, I also lead the University of Minnesota chapter of oSTEM, a national organization for queer people in STEM, so reach out (ostem@umn.edu) if you have any questions!