M. Christina White

Who is M. Christina White?

M. Christina White is a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign whose research program centers around the use of organometallic catalysis to develop highly selective C—H functionalization methods for streamlining the process of complex molecule synthesis.

White received her B.A. with highest honors in Biochemistry from Smith College in 1992, where she worked with Professor Stuart Rosenfeld in the area of host-guest chemistry. After a brief stint in the biology graduate program at Johns Hopkins University working with Professor Christian Anfinsen, she began her doctoral studies in chemistry under the direction of Professor Gary Posner. During that time, she initiated the hybrid Vitamin D3 analog program in his group.

In 1999, she joined Professor Eric Jacobsen's labs at Harvard University as an NIH postdoctoral fellow. During this time, she developed the first synthetically useful methane monooxygenase mimic system for catalytic epoxidations with hydrogen peroxide. Christina began her independent career as a member of the chemistry faculty at Harvard University in July 2002. After being denied tenure at Harvard, she joined the department of chemistry at the University of Illinois in the summer of 2005, where she is currently a Professor of Chemistry.