Rate My Professor Ron Briggs

Ron Briggs, Ph.D., is a Teaching Professor of Chemistry in the School of Molecular Sciences at Arizona State University, where he has served since 2004, progressing from Lecturer (2004-2007), Senior Lecturer (2007-2012), and Principal Lecturer (2017-2022) to his current title. Since 2006, he has also managed the General Chemistry Program and coordinated instructional support, overseeing lecture, lab, and recitation sections for CHM 101, 113, 114, and 116, involving over 26,000 student hours weekly. He hires and trains 15 faculty and over 100 teaching assistants per semester, supervises stockrooms, learning centers, and supplemental instruction, builds schedules for 500 sections, and led a $650,000 Learner-Centered Education course redesign across three campuses, along with new success initiatives improving retention and the design of the Chemistry Collaborative Learning Center.

Briggs earned his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry, emphasizing Analytical Spectroscopy, from the University of California, San Diego, and San Diego State University in 2004 (dissertation: “High-Resolution Nonlinear Laser Wave-Mixing Spectroscopy for Gas-Phase Environmental and Atmospheric Studies,” advisor: Professor William G. Tong), M.A. in Chemistry from San Diego State University in 1999, and B.S. in Chemistry from UC San Diego in 1994. Previously, as a Graduate Research Assistant (1996-2003), he developed degenerate four-wave mixing spectroscopy achieving parts-per-quadrillion detection limits; taught in summer programs for underrepresented students (1999-2002); and consulted as an Analytical Chemistry Expert Witness (2003-2012). His innovations feature inquiry-based curricula, multimedia-enhanced lectures with pop culture, and game-show reviews, yielding top student evaluations. Awards include the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Outstanding Lecturer Award (2019, 2007), Dean’s Distinguished Teaching Award (2007), and multiple nominations. Publications encompass “Sub-Doppler High-Resolution Wave-Mixing Detection Method for Isotopes in Environmental Applications” (Proc. SPIE, 2004), “Nonlinear Wave-Mixing Spectroscopy for Sub-Doppler Isotope Analysis” (Proc. SPIE, 2005), and his dissertation. He has co-authored presentations at Biennial Conferences on Chemical Education (2014-2022), chaired the Central Arizona ACS Section (2007), and served on committees like Undergraduate Programs and Facilities Renovation.