David Bwambok
Assistant Professor of Chemistry
About Me
I am an Assistant Professor of Analytical Chemistry and I have been at Ball State University for one year. Prior to joining academia, I was a senior scientist in industry after postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University. My current research focuses on task-specific ionic liquid materials for environmental remediation, forensic analysis, pharmaceutical quality control and biomedical applications. I am also interested in developing multifunctional nanoparticles for drug delivery as well as paper-based microfluidic devices for low-cost diagnostics of disease biomarkers especially in regions with limited resources.
My College Experience
I attended Moi University in Kenya for my undergraduate studies. My major subject was Chemistry and a minor in Physics. My original path was to teach Chemistry and Physics, however, my plans changed when I realized that I have a passion for research. I proceeded to graduate school and obtained a Master of Science in Organic Chemistry from State University of New York at Binghamton and a PhD in Analytical Chemistry from Louisiana State University.
What I have Learned?
I have learned several things in my chemistry career journey and one of these lessons is persistence. The key is to be focused on pursuing your dream and never give up during challenging times along the way. In industry and during postdoctoral training, I learned that teamwork is important in achieving a common goal. In addition, time management and communication is critical to carrying out multiple tasks in order to meet project deadlines.