Riley Peacock
Upper School Chemistry“I believe people learn best when their imaginations are excited in a welcoming environment.”
Riley teaches Upper School science, focusing on chemistry in Core 10 classes as well as electives, including Reactions, Matter, and Molecular Gastronomy.
“My goal as a Park educator is to help Park students see the chemistry around them and equip them to solve real-world problems at the molecular level. I help students develop a ‘Chemical Perspective’ — chemistry literally makes up the world around (and inside) us!”
Previously, Riley was a discovery scientist at NextCare Immunotherapeutic Company, where he performed translational research to develop novel anti-cancer therapeutics using techniques that integrated chemistry, cell biology, and immunology. Prior to that, Riley was a postdoctoral scientist at University of Maryland Baltimore School of Pharmacy, studying proteins in living cells via mass spectrometry. He was also an assistant teacher for graduate and undergraduate courses at University of California San Diego.
Riley holds a B.S. in Chemistry and Biochemistry from Gonzaga University and an M.S. and a Ph.D. in Chemistry and Biochemistry from University of California San Diego, where he focused on exploring the “molecular motions” that control Thrombin (the blood-clotting enzyme) using biophysical techniques.
“One of my favorite achievements is backpacking 215 miles in the California mountains over 19 days.” “I think octopuses are super neat.”
