This article appeared in Catalyst Magazine, Spring 2024
Sailing Through Chemistry
In 1989, Dr. John Arnold walked into his UC Berkeley office for the first time. Scanning the room, he saw an old desk, a new chair, a telephone, a pad of paper, a pencil, and a stapler. From those humble beginnings, he set to work building his chemistry group from the ground up.
But John was certainly no stranger to setting out on a new adventure. Born into a family of builders as the youngest of four, he and his siblings were expected to leave school and join the family business at age 16.
It seemed John's course was set—to be a tiler. The only problem? He didn't have any interest in tiling. He'd always been a very curious child—asking constant questions and always wanting answers. A natural-born researcher, he dreamt of a different kind of life path characterized by adventure. So instead of following the predetermined path, he took a different road. John began working in a plastics factory because it would pay for his continuing education. John took four years of night school at a tech college and absolutely loved it. After that, the company offered to support a co-op degree, enabling him to attend a university.
There, John was in heaven. He couldn't believe that people got paid to ask questions, study, and learn all day. Turns out this taste of heaven would be a foreshadowing of his future career. A couple of years later, John accepted an invitation to complete his Ph.D. in San Diego. There he met Don Tilley, who would later go on to also work at UC Berkeley. Soon after, he enjoyed a postdoctoral experience in London with his "personal chemistry hero" Sir Geoffrey Wilkinson. His next stop? A professor at UC Berkeley's College of Chemistry.
John never thought he'd get that job. He never thought he'd get tenure. He certainly never thought he'd teach for 35 years. Going from being a "pseudo high school dropout" to becoming a Berkeley professor all feels like a bit of a fairy tale to him—and certainly the adventure of a lifetime.
In addition to his adventures in teaching and research, John faithfully served as Undergraduate Dean from 2017-2024. After turning down the position a couple of times, some conversations with College of Chemistry Dean Doug Clark assured John that he would be given the space needed to try new ideas, make the position more entrepreneurial in nature, and focus on creative ways to serve undergraduates.
The lasting marks of his transformative leadership can be seen in many ways. Under his leadership, Berkeley's Center for Green Chemistry—a collaborative effort that aims to advance green chemistry through interdisciplinary scholarship—was awarded a $3.4 million dollar training grant from the National Science Foundation. In 2018, his lab group was awarded the Excellence in Laboratory Safety Award. And during his tenure, the College of Chemistry was consistently ranked as the #1 global university in chemistry.
Fellow faculty member Shannon Ciston spoke about John's multifaceted impact: "John's deep appreciation for the diversity of student experiences has made [him] an excellent champion for College of Chemistry students from all backgrounds. His creativity in creating opportunities for our students to engage in research and co-curricular experiences has enriched the lives of many students and our community as a whole. His love of chemistry is infectious, and keeps students and faculty/staff alike connected to a sense of wonder and inspiration."
When taking a closer look at his research work, one can see that infectious sense of wonder. From day one, he and his students have always been involved in "super creative chemistry," largely in the realm of inorganic and organometallic chemistry. They've "created fascinating molecules and discovered interesting reactions" the whole duration of his tenure.
John authored and co-authored hundreds of publications about this research, collaborating with a wide breadth of researchers and students. These publications reflect both creativity and diversity in the areas of bond activation, spectroscopic and computational studies of metal complexes, and the synthesis of multi-metallic compounds.
When asked about any research he's particularly proud of, John shared, "I can't recall having too many favorites over the years as I liked all of them!" His first paper with Don Tilley, however, does stand out to him for both sentimental reasons and for containing some "especially cool chemistry."
Even with these impressive accomplishments, John remains humble, giving credit and gratitude to others. When talking about his papers, he noted that "the coolest part of it all [was] watching my coworkers take rough ideas and run with them— they are the ones who should get the attention."
This humility and support of others perfectly represents how his legacy reaches beyond his titles, awards, and prolific collection of research. Lead College Advisor and Peer Services Program Director Shamaya Pellum said she "[had] never met a senior leader and educator as kind and uplifting as John Arnold. He truly wants everyone to succeed and wants the best for students— even if that means that they do not stay in the College of Chemistry."
From giving his cell number to parents, to supporting student research, to mentoring undergraduates, he always sought ways to give back to the people around him and contribute to student success—especially amongst undergraduates. In fact, Maura Daly, Director of Undergraduate Services for the College of Chemistry, observed in John a "seemingly bottomless commitment to our undergrad students" and under his leadership saw "a clear shift in the College toward a heightened interest in and support for undergrads."
John eagerly expressed his admiration for those undergraduate students. While it's common for graduate students to get quite a lot of attention due to their research efforts, John saw the bigger picture and shared his feelings of pride for the undergrads as well.
Graduate student Joe Brackbill experienced John's support firsthand, despite John's title as Undergraduate Dean, and shared: "John has been a kinder mentor than I could have hoped for. He has supported me through the hardest years of my life. He's always happy to talk, to answer a question, or to train someone in a new technique."
When anyone asks John what it's like to work at Berkeley he tells them that, "Berkeley is really about the people." He admits that sometimes when outsiders think of a prestigious institution, they get the image of a cold environment with unfeeling people. This has been far from John's experience. In Berkeley, he found a warm community that's been nothing but friendly, helpful, and supportive.
For the past 35 years, the Berkeley community has experienced those exact same qualities in John. Someone warm, friendly, helpful, and supportive. Someone with true academic brilliance and prestige, but also never too busy to come alongside a student or co-worker in need of support.
So what's next for John? His adventure is not even close to being over. While he says he will miss the college and the people, he's also looking forward to tackling some other life goals with that defining curiosity and wonder. He's started writing again and pens around 600 words every morning. He's excited to get back into photography and travel more with his wife. And his biggest goal for the next couple of years? Sailing around the world. When asked if he would write a book about his new adventures, he responds with a humble shrug and a slight twinkle in his eyes, "I won't rule it out."