Dr. Brian Pfennig came to Ursinus in 2004 as a visiting assistant professor while Dr. Andrew Price was on sabbatical leave and was subsequently hired as the general chemistry laboratory coordinator, a role which has expanded to include teaching the advanced general chemistry and inorganic chemistry courses.

Prior to teaching at Ursinus, Dr. Pfennig earned his Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry at Princeton University, did a post-doctoral research fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and taught at the college-level for ten years at a variety of small liberal arts colleges in the Northeast.

In 2015, Dr. Pfennig published a textbook entitled “Principles of Inorganic Chemistry,” and a second edition was published in 2022. 

Dr. P enjoys engaging students in undergraduate research experiences in the area of mixed-valence compounds and inorganic photochemistry. In his spare time, he has traveled to 59 of the 62 national parks and enjoys photography, fitness, and gardening. He has a YouTube channel on his travels called thisvantasticlife.