Kim K. Baldridge is an American theoretical and computational chemist who works to develop quantum mechanical methodologies and apply quantum chemical methods to problems in life sciences, materials science, and general studies. She is professor and vice dean in the School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology of
Tianjin University
Tianjin University (TJU, ), formerly Peiyang University (), is a national public research university in Tianjin, China. The university was established in 1895 by Guangxu Emperor's royal charter to be the first university of China. It is now fun ...
in China, where she also directs the High Performance Computing Center.
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Education and career
Baldridge is originally from Minot, North Dakota
Minot ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ward County, North Dakota, United States, in the state's north-central region. It is most widely known for the Air Force base approximately north of the city. With a population of 48,377 at the 20 ...
, and graduated from Minot State University
Minot State University (MSU or MiSU) is a public university in Minot, North Dakota. Founded in 1913 as a normal school, Minot State University is the third-largest university in North Dakota, offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
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in 1982. She earned her Ph.D. in 1988 from North Dakota State University
North Dakota State University (NDSU, formally North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences) is a public land-grant research university in Fargo, North Dakota. It was founded as North Dakota Agricultural College in 1890 as t ...
and was a postdoctoral researcher at Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Epis ...
until 1994. After becoming a scientist at the San Diego Supercomputer Center
The San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) is an organized research unit of the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). SDSC is located at the UCSD campus' Eleanor Roosevelt College east end, immediately north the Hopkins Parking Structure. ...
, she became a visiting professor at the University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or colloquially, UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Insti ...
in 1995, and continued to work at the San Diego Supercomputer Center and hold an adjunct professorship at the university before becoming a professor of theoretical chemistry at the University of Zurich
The University of Zürich (UZH, german: Universität Zürich) is a public research university located in the city of Zürich, Switzerland. It is the largest university in Switzerland, with its 28,000 enrolled students. It was founded in 1833 f ...
in Switzerland in 2004.[ She moved to Tianjin University in 2014, following her husband Jay S. Siegel, who became dean of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology at Tianjin in 2013.
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Research
Much of Baldridge's research involves finding better ways to use quantum mechanical methodologies to study complex molecules. For example, she used quantum mechanical approaches to study reaction paths and rates, inclusion of solvent effects, and evaluation of DFT functionals with dispersion
Dispersion may refer to:
Economics and finance
*Dispersion (finance), a measure for the statistical distribution of portfolio returns
*Price dispersion, a variation in prices across sellers of the same item
*Wage dispersion, the amount of variatio ...
correction for studying large polynuclear aromatic molecules.
Baldridge has contributed to quantum mechanical computer programs such as GAMESS (US)
General Atomic and Molecular Electronic Structure System (GAMESS (US)) is computer software for computational chemistry program. The original code started on October 1, 1977 as a National Resources for Computations in Chemistry project. In 1981, t ...
, QMView, and GEMSTONE. GAMESS stands for General Atomic and Molecular Electronic System, and is an advanced chemistry program for calculations including generalized valence bond, the Hartree-Fock method, and density functional theory.
Awards and recognition
Minot State University named Baldridge to their Academic Hall of Fame in 2013.[ Baldridge is a ]Fellow of the American Physical Society
The American Physical Society honors members with the designation ''Fellow'' for having made significant accomplishments to the field of physics.
The following lists are divided chronologically by the year of designation.
* List of American Physic ...
[ and was elected an ]American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...
Chemistry Fellow in 2001. She was given a 2019 Distinguished Women in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering Award by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry
The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC ) is an international federation of National Adhering Organizations working for the advancement of the chemical sciences, especially by developing nomenclature and terminology. It is ...
(IUPAC), the only winner from Asia. The award was won for her work in developing and applying quantum chemistry programs in molecular science, for pioneering women-in-science symposia, and for championing for chemical safety in China.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Baldridge, Kim K.
American women chemists
American chemists
Computational chemists
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
People from Minot, North Dakota
Minot State University alumni
North Dakota State University alumni
University of California, San Diego faculty
Academic staff of the University of Zurich
Academic staff of Tianjin University
Fellows of the American Physical Society
Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American women academics
21st-century American women scientists