Molly McFadden

molly_mcfadden [at] berkeley [dot] edu

Molly grew up in Evansville, Indiana. She earned her bachelor’s of science in biochemistry at Indiana University in 2017. While at IU, she worked in the labs of Kevin and Laura Brown investigating [2 + 2] cycloadditions and synthesizing bioactive small molecules. She then moved to sunny Pasadena, California to join Prof. Maxwell Robb’s group at the California Institute of Technology at its start in 2017. Her doctoral work focused on the investigation of force-responsive chemistry, with particular focus on designing mechanochromic naphthopyrans as well as developing a biocompatible method for triggering mechanochemical reactions. In August 2023, she joined the Hartwig group to study methods and mechanisms of catalytic post-polymerization functionalization reactions on polyolefins. Outside of lab, she enjoys knitting, playing board games, running, and trying new restaurants.