• ASTROCHEMISTRY
• ASTROPHYSICS
• CHEMISTRY
• CHEMISTRY, PHYSICAL
• CHEMISTRY, SUMMER RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES IN CHEMISTRY
• CHEMISTRY, UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
• COMPUTATIONAL CHEMISTRY
• COMPUTERS IN CHEMISTRY
• JOURNALISM
• PLANETARY SCIENCE
• PUBLIC RELATIONS
• PUBLIC SPEAKING
• QUANTUM CHEMISTRY
• SCIENCE COMMUNICATION
• WRITING

Ryan C. Fortenbeery is Associate Professor of Chemistry and Graduate Program Coordinator for the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Fortenberry is a Clinton, Mississippi native and received a Bachelor's of Science in Mathematics and a Master's of Science in Communication both from Mississippi College. He earned a Ph.D. in Physical and Theoretical Chemistry from Virginia Tech and was a NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow at the NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California. He was Assistant Professor of Physical Chemistry at Georgia Southern University for five years and earned tenure there before joining the faculty at the University of Mississippi in 2018. Fortenberry's computational astrochemistry research involves computing the ultraviolet, visible, infrared, and microwave spectra of molecules for their detection in space as well as the possible reaction pathways for forming such molecules. This aids in the search for life in the cosmos as well as the early stages of planet formation and the late stages of carbon processing. His work also has application to solar energy harvesting, fundamental chemical physics, and space technology. Fortenberry has served as the Chair of the American Chemical Society's Astrochemistry subdivision, the University of Mississippi's campus coordinator for the Mississippi Space Grant Consortium, and Associate Editor for the journal Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Science. He has over 150 publications, been PI on NSF and NASA grants, and authored the text Complete Science Communication published by the Royal Society of Chemistry. Additionally, he enjoys climbing mountains, coaching his son's soccer team, and teaching yoga.