Rollin King

Job title

Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Arts and Sciences

Highlight

King's research is in computational chemistry, the application of quantum mechanics using modern computing tools to solve problems in chemistry. He is a primary developer of the PSI4 quantum chemistry package, collaborating with scientists worldwide to develop open-source software. King's recent research projects have included modeling polymers for organic photovoltaic cells, investigating the structure of the iconic [18]-annulene, computing spectroscopic properties to determine molecular stereochemistry, and developing approaches to support data standards and communication of chemical information. Guest Professor at the prestigious ETH-Zurich in both 2008 and 2014, he is the author of over 40 peer-reviewed publications.

Started at Bethel

2001

Education

Huntington College - B.S.S. in Chemistry, Mathematics, 1995
University of Georgia - Ph.D. in Chemistry, 1999

Biography

Dr. King and his wife, April, are both from Indiana and met as undergraduates. Subsequently, they pursued graduate studies at the University of Georgia. After a year and a half living in Zurich (Switzerland) and Cambridge (UK), they moved to Minnesota in 2001. April is a practicing lawyer in the area of trusts and estates. They have three grown children.

Courses taught

General Chemistry
Physical Chemistry
- Thermodynamics, Statistical Thermodynamics, and Kinetics
- Quantum Chemistry and Spectroscopy
Introduction to Chemistry
Chance or Design: Our Place in the Cosmos

Awards

Postdoctoral Research Associate 1999, ETH-Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology)
Postdoctoral Research Associate 2000, Cambridge University
Supported by the NSF's Research Site for Educators in Chemistry program (through the Univ. of Minnesota), 2005
Supported by the Minnesota Supercomputing Institute, 2005-present
Visiting Scientist 2002 and 2004, Virginia Tech University
Visiting Scientist 2007 and 2008, University of Georgia
Guest Professor 2008 and 2014, ETH-Zurich

Publications

Dr. King has authored more than 40 publications, primarily in journals such as the Journal of Physical Chemistry and the Journal of Chemical Physics. Here is a recent publication involving Bethel undergraduate co-authors.

“The Vibrational Raman Optical Activity of β-Propiolactone Derivatives Computed with Coupled-Cluster Theory”, M.S. Pederson, L.D. Crum, E.J. Poncelet, B.M. Shumberger, T.D. Crawford, and R.A. King, J. Phys. Chem. A, (2026). DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.6c01773

Professional organizations, committees, and boards

American Chemical Society
Alpha Chi National Honor Society
Minnesota Academy of Sciences
American Scientific Affiliation

Hobbies and interests

Dr. King loves to garden in the warm months. Throughout the year, he enjoys studying the relationship between philosophy, theology, and science.