Richard Oakley

During his academic career, Richard Oakley taught both classroom and laboratory courses, ranging from introductory chemistry to senior inorganic and graduate offerings. His early research work focused on the properties of electronically delocalized main group inorganic ring systems, but later expanded to include the exploration and development of the chemistry, physics, and materials science of heterocyclic radicals, biradicals, zwitterions and radical ions, with the goal of generating functional materials with unusual magnetic, conductive, and/or optical properties. Outside of his academic activities, he was heavily involved with the organization and operation of national and international scientific conferences.

• Main group chemistry
• Stable radicals
• Molecular materials
• Molecular magnetism and conductivity
• Neutral radical conductors

• 1976, PhD, Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Canada
• 1970, MSc, Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Canada
• 1969, BSc, Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Canada
• 1961-1965, GCE O, A and S Levels, Whitgift School, England

• 2016, E.W.R. Steacie Award (CSC)
• 2009, Fellow, Royal Society of Canada (FRSC)
• 2006-2008, Killam Research Fellowship (Canada Council)
• 2001, Pure or Applied Inorganic Chemistry Award (CSC)
• 1993, Alcan Lecture Award (CSC)
• 1993, Fellow, Chemical Institute of Canada (FCIC)
• 1991, Akron Lecture Award (ACS)
• 1980-1987, NSERC University Research Fellowship
• 1976-1978, Honorary Canadian Ramsay Memorial Fellowship

• 2016-present, Professor Emeritus, University of Waterloo
• 1998-2016, Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo
• 1989-1998, Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Guelph
• 1986-1989, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Guelph
• 1983-1986, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Guelph
• 1980-1983, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Calgary
• 1978-1980, Research Associate, Department of Chemistry, University of Calgary
• 1971-1972, Professor Asistente, Departamento de Química, Universidad Industrial de Santander

• View all Richard Oakley's publications on Google Scholar.
• Selected recent articles by Richard Oakley:
• T. Chivers and R. T. Oakley. “Dissociation without Detonation: a DFT Analysis of the Thermally Induced Fragmentation of Binary Sulfur-Nitrogen Rings and Cages.” Inorg. Chem. 63, 21238-21251 (2024).
• J. Marbey, A. Mailman, R. T. Oakley, S. Hill and S. M. Winter. “Substituent Effects on Exchange Anisotropy in Single- and Multi-Orbital Organic Radical Magnets.” Phys. Rev. Materials 8, 044406 (2024).
• T. Chivers and R. T. Oakley. “Structures and Spectroscopic Properties of Polysulfide Radical Anions: A Theoretical Perspective.” Molecules 28, 5654 (2023).
• C. M. Robertson, S. M. Winter, J. A. K. Howard, M. R. Probert and R. T. Oakley. “Low Temperature Insights into the Crystal and Magnetic Structure of a Neutral Radical Ferromagnet.” Chem. Commun. 57, 10238-10241 (2021).
• A. Mailman, C. M. Robertson, S. M. Winter, P. A. Dube and R. T. Oakley. “The Importance of Electronic Dimensionality in Multiorbital Radical Conductors.” Inorg. Chem. 58, 6495-6506 (2019).
• K. Lekin, A. A. Leitch, A. Assoud, W. Yong, J. Desmarais, J. S. Tse, S. Desgreniers, R. A. Secco and R. T. Oakley. “Benzoquinone-Bridged Heterocyclic Zwitterions as Building Blocks for Molecular Semiconductors and Metals.” Inorg. Chem. 57, 4757-4770 (2018).