Fall 2023 faculty additions to the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Karrie Smith is a native of northeastern Oklahoma. She attended middle school in Bartlesville before moving to Tulsa to complete high school at Holland Hall. Smith earned a B.S. in chemistry from Emory and a Ph.D. in medicinal chemistry from the University of Kansas, where she investigated psychoactive natural products for their potential therapeutic applications. Smith moved back to Tulsa and worked at the Phillips 66 Research Center in Bartlesville for nearly 10 years before making a career change and joining the Chemistry & Biochemistry faculty at TU to teach Chemistry in Medicine. She considers herself an enthusiast of corgis (she has one) and dinosaurs (she has only desk toys and stationery).
Carla Johnson grew up in Saskatchewan, Canada, and attended undergraduate school in Saskatoon before graduating from the University of Wyoming with a degree in agriculture. She obtained a master’s degree in soil chemistry (agronomy) in 1993 and then a master’s in chemistry in 2007. Johnson spent 30 years working for the Chemistry Department at UW as the general chemistry lab coordinator/academic professor lecturer. She joined TU’s Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry in August as the director of general chemistry laboratories. On a personal level, Johnson competes as a barrel racer at PRCA/WPRA rodeos, and is a board member for the WPRA. She is excited to live and compete in Tulsa and loves the weather change after moving from Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Liz Williams is a Tulsa native. She attended Booker T. Washington High School, where she found several passions including archery and chemistry. She then received a B.S. in biochemistry with a minor in computer science from The University of Tulsa. Immediately after graduation, Williams began teaching as an adjunct at TU while earning a master’s degree in biomedical science from The University of North Texas Health Science Center. Since getting her M.S., she has been instructing at TU in the general chemistry labs, lectures, and Principles of Chemistry course. Williams has two spoiled dogs – a husky mix and a lab mix – at home, as well as a ball python that is equally spoiled. She self-identifies as a “big nerd” when it comes to video games and D&D.