Megan Brennan

Bio

Dr. Megan Brennan's interests include the development of organic chemistry lab courses that give students hands-on opportunities to explore chemistry while reinforcing and building upon concepts learned in lecture classes. She aims for her labs to bring chemistry to life, and to afford students a chance to have fun and experience a taste of scientific discovery.

While studying chemistry at Lafayette College (B.S. 2002), Dr. Brennan worked on the preparation of triazaphenanthrenes and the Oxa–Pictet–Spengler reaction of 1-(3-furyl)alkan-2-ols. She completed her doctoral work at Stanford (Ph.D. 2008), conducting her thesis research in palladium asymmetric allylic alkylation under the advisement of Professor Barry Trost. During her postdoctoral research with Professor Scott Miller at Yale University, she investigated the use of peptides containing a thiazole side chain for use in acyl anion chemistry. She joined the teaching staff at University of California, Berkeley in 2010 before coming returning to Stanford in 2011 to spearhead the development of a new summer organic chemistry sequence, a comprehensive course designed for pre-meds, offering an entire year of organic chemistry in nine weeks.

Dr. Brennan also acts as the liaison to the chemistry majors, to promote events with faculty in both the academic and social aspect: providing an environment that allows students to be comfortable and able to learn, while helping them take advantage of every opportunity that Stanford offers.

Dr. Brennan's current research is in the development classroom experiments that bring cutting edge industrial and academic research into the undergraduate laboratory experience.

Academic Appointments

• Advanced Lecturer, Chemistry

Administrative Appointments

• Advanced Lecturer, University of California, Berkeley (2010 - 2011)

Honors & Awards

• Linus Pauling Teaching Award, Stanford University (2007)
• Novartis Graduate Fellowship in Organic Chemistry, Stanford University (2005)
• Charles A. Dana Scholar Recipient, Lafayette College (2002)
• Pi Mu Epsilon, Lafayette College (2002)
• William Forris Hart '27 Chemistry Prize, Lafayette College (2002)
• American Chemical Society Division of Polymer Chemistry Award, American Chemical Society (2001)
• American Chemical Society Prize -Lehigh Valley Chapter Phi Lamda Upsilon, American Chemical Society, Lehigh Valley Chapter (2001)
• Chemical Rubber Company Freshman Achievement Award, Lafayette College (2000)
• Cornell Family Scholarship Fund Recipient, Lafayette College (2000)
• Eugene P. Chase Phi Beta Kappa Prize, Lafayette College (2000)
• Excel Scholar, Lafayette College (1999-2002)
• Marquis Scholar, Lafayette College (1999-2002)

Boards, Advisory Committees, Professional Organizations

• Director, Chemistry Summer Program Stanford (2011 - Present)
• Member, Undergraduate Studies & Curriculum Commitee (2011 - Present)
• Advisory Board Member, Women in STEM (2015 - 2015)
• Faculty College Team Member, Stanford University (2013 - 2014)

Professional Education

• BS, Lafayette College, Heterocyclic chemistry (2002)
• PhD, Stanford University, Palladium asymmetric catalysis (2008)
• Postdoc, Yale University, Organocatlalysis (2010)

2024-25 Courses

• Chemistry Unleashed: Exploring the Chemistry that Transforms Our World
  CHEM 93 (Spr)
• Structure and Reactivity of Carbon-Based Molecules
  CHEM 33 (Spr)
• Teaching of Chemistry
  CHEM 299 (Spr)
• Understanding the Natural and Unnatural World through Chemistry
  CHEM 121 (Aut)
• Prior Year Courses

  2023-24 Courses

  • Chemistry Unleashed: Exploring the Chemistry that Transforms Our World
    CHEM 93 (Spr)
  • Structure and Reactivity of Organic Molecules
    CHEM 33 (Win, Spr)
  • Teaching of Chemistry
    CHEM 299 (Spr, Sum)
  • Understanding the Natural and Unnatural World through Chemistry
    CHEM 121 (Aut, Sum)

  2022-23 Courses

  • Structure and Reactivity of Organic Molecules
    CHEM 33 (Win, Spr)
  • Teaching of Chemistry
    CHEM 299 (Spr)
  • Understanding the Natural and Unnatural World through Chemistry
    CHEM 121 (Aut, Sum)

  2021-22 Courses

  • Structure and Reactivity of Organic Molecules
    CHEM 33 (Win, Spr)
  • Teaching of Chemistry
    CHEM 299 (Spr)
  • Understanding the Natural and Unnatural World through Chemistry
    CHEM 121 (Aut)