Dr. Kenneth J. McDonald, Ph.D.

Dr. McDonald teaches courses in physical chemistry, materials engineering, and general chemistry. He earned his B.S. and M.S. in chemistry from Illinois State University in 2004 and 2006, respectively. Dr. McDonald received his Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry in 2012 from Purdue University where he studied the electrochemical synthesis of semiconductors for use in photoelectrochemical cells to split water into H2 and O2 using solar energy. 

After receiving his Ph.D., Dr. McDonald worked for Toyota Research Institute of North America for 2 years before shifting his focus back to higher education. He has been at West Point since 2016 and has taught in both the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering  (Engineering Materials and the Fundamentals of Engineering Mechanics and Design) and CLS (General Chemistry I/II and Physical Chemistry I/II).