Katherine A. Willets

Katherine "Kallie" A. Willets is an American chemist who is a professor of physical chemistry at Temple University. She develops characterization techniques to better understand materials and heterogeneity at interfaces.

Early life and education Willets studied chemistry at Dartmouth College, where she was awarded the Paul R. Shafer & Douglas M. Bowen Award for outstanding performance as a chemistry teaching assistant. She moved to Stanford University for graduate studies, where she researched fluorophores for single-molecule spectroscopy alongside William E. Moerner. She moved to Northwestern University for postdoctoral research, where she worked with Richard P. Van Duyne. Willets started her independent scientific career at University of Texas at Austin in 2007.

Research and career Willets started her lab at the Temple University in 2007. Willets develops advanced characterization techniques to understand how heterogeneity at the nanoscale impacts the properties of materials. These energetic carriers, together with the localized temperature rise at nanoparticle surfaces, can significantly enhance the efficiency of light-driven electrochemical reactions. She pioneers the development of plasmonic nanostructures, and studies how they interact with light for sensing and catalysis.

In 2024, Willets was awarded $20 million in funding from the National Science Foundation to create The Center for Single-Entity Nanochemistry and Nanocrystal Design (CSENND), which will explore the behavior of nanocrystals and how they can be applied to future technologies.

Willets has won several awards for her efforts in chemistry education and improve research culture in chemistry.

Selected publications