William K. Tolley

Dr. Tolley has made a career as a research scientist and manufacturing manager emphasizing innovative chemical sensor technology. As a Principal Scientist at Seacoast he was responsible for the final design of the Vernier Mini GC™ gas chromatograph, which is the first low-cost, compact chromatograph designed specifically for education. He also led development work of a monitor installed in vehicle to monitor alcohol impairment of the driver based on alcohol excreted through the driver’s hands.

Dr. Tolley earned his Bachelors of Science and Masters of Science Engineering in Metallurgical Engineering at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City and his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Brigham Young University, Provo, UT. He has authored / co-authored 27 U.S. patents and over 75 peer-reviewed publications.

Prior to Seacoast Science, Dr. Tolley held a number of positions one where he was responsible for commercializing photon welding using conventional light sources to weld plastic parts. He has developed a novel calorimeter that allowed the measurement of thermodynamic properties and phase relations of supercritical fluids.

Dr. Tolley is a member of the American Chemical Society and in his 13th year as secretary to the San Diego Section.