Dr. Kimberly Heck received her B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Houston in 2004 and her Ph.D. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Rice University in 2009. After working as a postdoctoral research associate in the chemistry department at Texas A&M University, she returned to Rice University where she has worked as a lecturer and research scientist. Her previous research includes developing catalysts for the aqueous-phase degradation of chlorinated organic contaminants in groundwater, spectroscopic identification of reaction intermediates on model catalysts via surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy, and the development of Au-based materials for hydrogen sensing. She currently is a lecturer in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering department and a research scientist/lab manager in Prof. Michael Wong’s research group where she is developing catalytic systems for the oxidative degradation of dioxane in groundwater.