About Prof. Speight

Dr. Isaiah Speight is a native of the Hampton Roads Area, born and raised in Portsmouth, VA. He earned his B.S. in chemistry in 2016 from Norfolk State University as a DNIMAS Scholar. During this time, he did undergraduate research in polymer and carbohydrate synthesis. Dr. Speight then moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he completed his Ph.D. as a Provost’s Graduate Fellow at Vanderbilt University with Prof. Timothy Hanusa. During his time as a Ph.D. student, Dr. Speight developed new mechanochemical methods for making inorganic and organometallic compounds. Following his doctoral work, Dr. Speight became a NIGMS Postdoctoral Fellow at University of California, Irvine. His research focused on the development of new technologies for amide group reduction and formation. Dr. Speight did a short stint in industry at AbbVie in the New Chemistry and Continuous Improvement group as a visiting scientst where his work focused on green synthesis of pharmaceutical targets. There he worked with a cross functional team of scientist to develop a mechanochemical flow system for Sonogashira reactions.

Dr. Speight joined the W&M chemistry department in Fall of 2023 where his group focuses on mechanochemistry and sustainable chemistry. In 2026, Dr. Speight was selected to be an English-Stonehouse Faculty fellow which further supports his teams efforts in student mentorship and growth. He was also recognized as a 2026 Thieme Chemistry Journals Awardee.