Dan Sheeran left behind a teaching job near the bright lights of New York City nearly 20 years ago for a Midwestern college town where he knew no one.

The university in that town had more perks for him, not to mention the cheaper rent.

“Coming to Eastern was an attractive proposition,” Sheeran said. “Not just the living cost and location, but the department was substantially more (chemistry-oriented) than I was associated with in New York.”

Flash forward those 20 years and Sheeran has excelled in his department as an associate professor and was given the chance to learn about a field of chemistry he was unfamiliar with.

Sheeran joined a chemistry research team at the University of Illinois, led by chemistry professor John Hartwig, during the fall 2009 semester. Sheeran took a semester-long sabbatical from Eastern for the opportunity.

The team, comprised of about 25 people, was in its eighth year of an ongoing process to develop a metal-based catalyst. Work on the catalyst, which is sensitive to air and moisture, was done inside an air- and water-free box, which the team affectionately called the “love box.”

Sheeran said the research was exciting, and he enjoyed the opportunity to work in a lab every day.

“It was in many ways extremely intense research,” he said. “Being able to learn chemistry I wasn’t really familiar with, to work in a group that has large chemistry expertise and to interact with them was exciting and challenging.”

After his research experience, Sheeran dove in to his new position as chair of the chemistry department at the beginning of January, taking over for interim chair Mark McGuire.

Sheeran’s journey toward the job began when former chair Doug Klarup chose not to seek reappointment.

The department conducted an internal search, accepting nominations in the spring semester of 2009 – the only one being Sheeran’s. After obtaining feedback and concerns from faculty members, it was clear to Mary Anne Hanner, dean of the College of Sciences, that the job was Sheeran’s.

“We were happy to make that appointment,” Hanner said. “I think that he is committed to the success of the department of chemistry. He knows the culture of the department, he’s a great teacher, a great scientist and he values what the faculty and department value.”

The chemistry department was in an unusual situation with Klarup leaving and Sheeran taking a sabbatical in the fall, and appointed McGuire as interim chair in July.

“Sheeran was approved for fall sabbatical, and we wanted him to have the opportunity to do that,” Hanner said. “McGuire made some nice advancements in the department during his time, though. I think it’s been a smooth transition.”

As Sheeran still settles in as chair, he admits he is still learning the ropes. But his observations of his research group at U of I – some of them graduate students – provided a life lesson that will help him as department chair.

“The time and effort they put into their work, observing that is a good life lesson I can pass onto those in our department who have that desire, that these are some of the expectations for them,” he said. “They need to have that sense that these are some of the demands on you if you want to go to grad school. It’s a big thing I’ve taken from that.”

Tyler Angelo can be reached at 581-7942 or [email protected]