Dr. Karen L. Wooley holds the W. T. Doherty-Welch Chair in Chemistry and is a University Distinguished Professor and Presidential Impact Fellow at Texas A&M, with appointment in the Department of Chemistry.  She also serves as Director of the Laboratory for Synthetic-Biologic Interactions. Dr. Wooley previously taught at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, where she was a James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor in Arts & Sciences. Her research interests include the synthesis and characterization of degradable polymers derived from natural products, unique macromolecular architectures and complex polymer assemblies, and the design and development of well-defined nanostructured materials. Dr. Wooley has designed synthetic strategies to harness the rich compositional, regiochemical and stereochemical complexity of natural products for the construction of hydrolytically-degradable polymers, which have impact toward sustainability, reduction of reliance on petrochemicals, and production of biologically-beneficial and environmentally-benign natural products upon degradation - these materials are expected to impact the global issue of plastic pollution and address challenges resulting from climate change. The development of novel synthetic strategies, fundamental study of physicochemical and mechanical properties, and investigation of the functional performance of her materials in the diagnosis and treatment of disease, as superabsorbent hydrogels to address global challenges associated with excessive liquid water, as non-toxic anti-biofouling or anti-icing coatings, as materials for microelectronics device applications, and as environmental remediation systems are particular foci of her research activities.

Dr. Wooley is the recipient of many awards, including the American Chemical Society Award in Polymer Chemistry (2014), the Royal Society of Chemistry Centenary Prize (2014), and election as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2015), the National Academy of Inventors (2019), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2020), the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (2020), and the National Academy of Sciences (2020). She was recently selected as a recipient of a 2021 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Faculty Achievement Award and was named as the 2021 SEC Professor of the Year. Dr. Wooley has served on the technical advisory boards and served in consulting capacities for several companies, from Fortune 500 companies to start-ups, and law firms. She is the co-founder and President of Sugar Plastics, LLC, and Chief Technology Officer of Teysha Technologies, LTD. Karen currently serves as both an executive editor and an associate editor for the Journal of the American Chemical Society, among many other advisory roles within the broader scientific community.

Dr. Wooley has a long-standing commitment to diversity, formally and informally, having served on numerous committees that focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion, while also being dedicated to diversity promoting practices throughout her research, teaching, and service. She has mentored and nominated several female Texas A&M students, faculty, and staff for awards. Dr. Wooley also promotes the career development of female scientists nationally and internationally. For instance, she currently serves as an Executive Editor for the Journal of the American Chemical Society, for which she leads a team of three female and one male associate editors who are located in the U.S., Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.