David James Hannington Emslie
Professor, Chemistry & Chemical Biology

Dr. David Emslie is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology at McMaster University. His research spans much of the periodic table, with current emphasis on rigid pincer ligand design, reactivity and catalysis with lanthanide and actinide complexes, unique actinide-ligand bonding situations, alkali metal–alkane interactions, reactive manganese silyl, silylene and silene complexes, late transition metal ambiphilic ligand complexes, and the development of new ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition) precursors, reactivity and methods.


The Emslie lab is set up to work with inorganic molecules at the extreme of air sensitivity, with 4 argon-filled gloveboxes and numerous vacuum lines. The lab is also home to 4 ALD reactors which are used (a) for the development of new ALD processes to deposit materials which are currently inaccessible by ALD, or for which existing ALD methods are unsuitable for industrial application, and (b) to further academic collaborations focused on device fabrication. The group typically consists of 4-8 graduate students, 0-2 PDFs, and 1 or 2 undergraduate students.