Chemist | Dr. Colleen Kelley

Episode Highlights:

• Why college freshmen struggle with chemistry (and why it’s not their fault)

• How an unfulfilled childhood career dream can still put you on the right path

• What it’s really like to take an Army ROTC scholarship as a first-generation student

Timestamps:

0:40 - What is a chemist?

2:14 - What does a typical day look like?

3:44 - What do you enjoy?

5:23 - What do you dislike?

23:47 - How does your career compare to your initial aspirations?

30:57 - What were your career milestones?

33:55 - What advice would you give an aspiring professional?

About Our Guest:

Dr. Colleen Kelley is a chemist, educator, and molecular literacy advocate dedicated to making chemistry fun, accessible, and meaningful for learners of all ages. A retired University of Arizona chemistry professor with over 30 years of teaching experience, Colleen is the creator of a children’s chemistry comic book series designed to build foundational fluency with atoms, molecules, and the periodic table. Her work was featured in the PBS short documentary Comic Book Chemistry, which won an Emmy in 2023, and later inspired her 2025 TEDx talk, Molecular Literacy for Ages 8–108. Colleen holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from Penn State University, conducted postdoctoral research in France as a Chateaubriand Fellow under Nobel Laureate Jean-Marie Lehn, and has published four textbooks, more than 30 peer-reviewed articles, and presented her work internationally.

• Extended Interview - ⁠patreon.com/diverseroutes ⁠

• Colleen’s Website - https://kidschemicalsolutions.com/

• Colleen’s TedX Talk - https://youtu.be/OwQfs0pIO-I?si=pbHRmJzppTjWtKtz

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