Ben Mccall Email & Phone Number

Currently serving in NSF's Office of Integrative Activities, working with the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). On detail through the Intergovernmental Personnel Act.★ Merit review of proposals from multiple disciplines, with budgets from <$100K to $4M/yr★ Post-award management of over $45M in awards★ Co-lead of the EPSCoR Collaborations for Optimizing Research Ecosystems program★ Co-lead of the EPSCoR Workshop Opportunities program★ Program officer for Focused EPSCoR Collaborations program★ Organizer and host of EPSCoR Live! monthly webinar series

★ Recognized need for a transdisciplinary network to focus on planetary limits and sustainability★ Recruited scholars from diverse disciplines to initiate the network★ Organized peer-reviewed launch paper in Energy Research & Social Science (9,815 downloads)★ Oversaw growth to >100 scholars in 15 countries and 24 US states★ Implemented sociocratic (dynamic governance) organizational structure

University Of Vermont

Served as Macmillan Scholar in Residence in April 2023, and continue to serve as a Gund Affiliate.

Reporting to the Provost, I provided strategic leadership to the campus on sustainability, led the HSI team of seven faculty/staff and >20 students, and managed an annual budget of over $1M. I fostered collaborations with Facilities Management, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Schools of Engineering, Business, Law, and Education & Health Sciences.Major accomplishments include:★ Leading a team of faculty, staff, and students to develop a pathway for campus carbon neutrality★ Serving as senior author on a paper describing our carbon neutrality techno-economic analysis ★ Launching Sustainability Scholars, a community of practice of 100 UD faculty in 30 departments★ Shepherding the pursuit of a renewable power purchase agreement for ~80,000 MWh/yr★ Developing a novel promotion and tenure policy for interdisciplinary faculty in HSI ★ Securing university leadership approval to sign Second Nature’s Resilience Commitment★ Conceptualizing UD Climate Action, Resilience, and Environmental Sustainability (CARES) Council★ Leading formal strategic planning process for HSI, with over 200 participants

Assistant (2004-2011), Associate (2011-2014), Full (2014-2018), Adjunct (2018-present)Started and led an internationally-recognized research group in laboratory spectroscopy and astrochemistry. Developed and taught a variety of courses in chemistry, astrochemistry, and sustainability. Engaged in dedicated service to department, campus, and profession.Major Research Accomplishments:★ Mentored 32 graduate students, 5 postdocs, and 34 undergraduate students★ Raised over $5M of grant funding from agencies and foundations★ Published 69 papers in peer-reviewed journalsMajor Teaching Accomplishments:★ Co-developed and co-taught Frameworks in Sustainability course with faculty from 6 departments★ Developed new freshman discovery course Exploring Energy and Climate Change★ Developed new lecture and laboratory courses in astrochemistry★ Overhauled two-semester physical chemistry laboratory sequenceRepresentative Service Activities:★ Founded and chaired Midwest Astrochemistry Consortium★ Organized Charles David Keeling Lecture series on chemistry and climate change★ Served as reviewer for 19 journals and 7 funding agencies

★ Served as interface between four faculty members and the architects/facilities team in design and construction of $4.5M, 10,000 sq ft Center for Theoretical Chemistry★ Oversaw ~$2.5M of renovations and special projects to support research, teaching, and administrative functions in Department of Chemistry★ Developed, negotiated, and implemented space reorganization plans involving multiple research groups to make room for junior faculty and help retain senior faculty

★ Developed and implemented a new procedure for engaging over 50 faculty, students, and staff in formulating and evaluating recommendations for campus sustainability policies/initiatives★ Spearheaded the development and editing of the 2015 Illinois Climate Action Plan★ Successfully advocated for campus to be a charter signatory of Second Nature's Climate Commitment★ Successfully advocated for, and helped develop, campus policy for net zero space growth★ Developed a project to verify carbon credits from campus emission reductions, raising ~$1.5M for campus sustainability efforts★ Coordinated design of, and successful fundraising ($338K) for, campus's first biomass boiler system★ Successfully advocated for campus's first wind Power Purchase Agreement for 25,000 MWh/year

University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign

Chair (2013-2019), Co-Chair (2019-2021), Outgoing Chair (2021-2022)Oversaw all aspects of the organization of this week-long ~500 person annual symposium.★ Executed smooth transition of ISMS to Illinois in 2014 after 68 years at Ohio State★ Received uniformly positive feedback from community; Illinois designated new permanent venue★ Developed and implemented plans to include more of the spectroscopy community in the organization of the meeting, and increase diversity among invited speakers and advisory committee members★ Co-organized first virtual ISMS in 2021, with record number of abstracts and participants★ Co-organized first hybrid ISMS in 2022, with ~350 in-person and ~250 remote participants

Cavity ringdown spectroscopy with Prof. Rich Saykally; dissociative recombination measurements with Prof. Mats Larsson (U. Stockholm); astronomical observations with many collaborators★ Definitive measurement of rate of recombination between H3+ and electrons★ Discovery of high cosmic-ray ionization rate in diffuse interstellar clouds★ Complementary laboratory and astronomical observations of C3★ Published 12 papers in peer-reviewed journals, including Nature

Laboratory and astronomical spectroscopy with Prof. Takeshi Oka★ Discovery of H3+ in diffuse interstellar clouds★ Extended combination and overtone band of H3+ spectroscopy to the near-IR and visible★ Experimentally determined absolute energy levels of H3+★ Developed PHP/MySQL website to store and analyze observational data on diffuse interstellar bands★ Published 12 papers in peer-reviewed journals, including Science

Led a team of undergraduate students in the successful design and construction of a GAScan payload to measure gamma-ray bursts, which flew on Space Shuttle Endeavour on STS-77 in May 1996. Responsibilities included experimental design, fundraising, purchasing, safety documentation, and team leadership. Advisors: Prof. Maarten Schmidt and Astronaut John Grunsfeld.

Spearheaded a successful organizational restructuring of this national network of student chapters, including the drafting of a new constitution and bylaws.

Taught summer science laboratory-based courses to K-8 students in subjects including chemistry and digital electronics.

Ph.D., Chemistry And Astronomy & Astrophysics

Self-designed joint PhD between Department of Chemistry and Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics Thesis: "Spectroscopy of H3+.

B.S., Chemistry