David A. Laviska received his B.A. from Cornell University in 1989 and his M.S. from the University of Washington in 1991. He received his Ph.D. in 2013 for his work on the utilization of iridium pincer complexes for the activation and functionalization C-H and C-X bonds after working as an environmental chemist for 15 years. He is currently an assistant professor/one year appointment at The College of New Jersey.