Peter K. Dorhout

Peter Kenneth Dorhout is an American professor of chemistry and the vice president for research at Iowa State University. He was the 2018 President of the American Chemical Society (ACS). As an advocate for science, he has had the opportunity to talk to United States congressional staff about the importance of basic science funding through the National Science Foundation.

Education and career Dorhout earned his Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, followed by a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin–Madison under the direction of Arthur B. Ellis. Afterwards, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Iowa State University Ames Laboratory.

He joined the Colorado State University (CSU) as an assistant professor of chemistry in 1991 and became a full professor in 2002, the same year he became the associate dean for research and graduate education for the college of natural sciences. As associate dean, he was involved in the creation of the Undergraduate Research Institute. His projects have spanned areas such as heavy metal detection and remediation, nuclear nonproliferation and ferroelectric nanomaterials.

In January 2012, Dorhout became the dean of college of arts and sciences at Kansas State University. In 2016, then President Kirk Schulz appointed him vice president for research after a nationwide search. Since 2021, Dorhout has served as the vice president for research at Iowa State University. He was appointed to a second term in the role in 2024.

Dorhout served as president of the American Chemical Society in 2018.

Awards and honors American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow (2017) American Chemical Society Fellow (2013) Oliver P. Pennock Service award (2011)