Daniel K. Okonkwo
College Professor, Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Wichita, KS · (316) 555 0136 · name@example.com · linkedin.com/in/danielkokonkwo
Key Qualifications
EXPERIENCE
Three years on the tenure track after a two year postdoctoral fellowship
SETTINGS
Regional public university of 14,000 students with a chemistry department of 16 faculty
SPECIALTIES
Analytical chemistry, electrochemical sensors, general chemistry instruction, undergraduate research
SYSTEMS
Canvas, Banner, Watermark Faculty Success, ChemDraw, OriginLab, Gaussian, Zotero
CREDENTIALS
Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry, National Science Foundation early career award
EDUCATION
Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry, Great Plains State University
Executive Summary
Tenure track assistant professor of chemistry in the third year at a regional public university of 14,000 students, teaching general and analytical chemistry to about 260 students a year while running a lab of five undergraduate researchers. Holds a National Science Foundation early career award and has seven peer reviewed publications, four of them from the current lab. Known for a general chemistry section whose withdrawal rate fell by half.
Signature Achievements
- Won a $412,000 National Science Foundation early career award in 2025 for work on low cost electrochemical sensors for water testing.
- Published seven peer reviewed articles, four as corresponding author since joining the department, with 210 citations in total.
- Cut the drop, fail and withdraw rate in a 160 student general chemistry section from 31 percent to 16 percent in two years by adding weekly problem sessions.
- Mentored nine undergraduate researchers, six of whom presented at a regional meeting of the American Chemical Society and three of whom entered doctoral programs.
- Rebuilt the analytical chemistry laboratory course around eight open ended projects and raised student ratings of the course from 3.4 to 4.5 of 5.
Professional Experience
Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Arkansas River State University, Wichita, KS August 2023 to present
Tenure track appointment with a load of two courses each semester, about 260 students a year, and a research lab of five undergraduate students
- Teach one 160 student general chemistry section and one 24 student analytical chemistry laboratory course each semester.
- Direct a research lab of five undergraduate students on electrochemical sensors for nitrate and lead in drinking water.
- Write and manage federal grants, including a $412,000 award with an annual reporting cycle and a budget shared with two collaborators.
- Serve on the department curriculum committee and the college undergraduate research committee.
- Advise 22 chemistry majors on course plans and graduate school applications each year.
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Analytical Chemistry
Flint Hills Institute of Technology, Manhattan, KS August 2021 to August 2023
Research group of 14 people working on electrochemical detection with funding from two federal agencies
- Designed and tested screen printed electrode sensors and published three first author articles.
- Supervised two graduate students on daily experiments and data analysis.
- Taught one section of instrumental analysis as instructor of record in 2022.
Certifications and Training
National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development award, 2025 to 2030
Member, American Chemical Society, Division of Analytical Chemistry, since 2017
Responsible conduct of research and laboratory safety training, renewed 2025
Education
Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry, Great Plains State University, Lawrence, 2021
Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, Osage Valley College, Topeka, 2016
Core Skills
Analytical chemistry instruction · Electrochemical sensor research · Federal grant writing · Undergraduate research mentoring · Large lecture teaching · Laboratory course design · Peer reviewed publication · Canvas course management · Academic advising · Curriculum committee work