Robert Milligan

Biography

Robert D. Milligan is a chemistry education researcher and veteran science educator with over 40 years of experience teaching biology and chemistry at the secondary and postsecondary levels in the United States and internationally. He recently complete his Ph.D. in Chemistry Education Research at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where his research focused on evidence of student learning in spectrophotometry and intermolecular forces in the chemistry laboratory.

Dr. Milligan has served as Teaching Assistant Coordinator for the Foundations of Chemical Inquiry I laboratory course at UIC, supervising teaching assistants, coordinating course logistics, and developing laboratory curricula and instructional materials, including video resources. His scholarly work employs mixed-methods and phenomenographic approaches to analyze student learning and laboratory curriculum design. He has also contributed to large-scale science curriculum alignment and assessment initiatives through the CASCIA project in collaboration with multiple state education agencies.

In addition to his university roles, Mr. Milligan has held leadership and teaching positions in high schools and colleges across the U.S., Kenya, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe, including nearly two decades as Science Department Head and Chemistry/Biology teacher at Rift Valley Academy in Kenya.
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Education

University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
Ph.D. Chemistry Education Research, 2025
Advisor: Donald J. Wink, Ph.D.

University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
M.S., Chemistry, 2009

University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
M.S., Biological Science, 1986

Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL
B.S., Biology, 1981
Graduated with honors
Illinois Teaching Certification (Grades 6–12)

Professional Affiliations

American Chemical Society

Areas of Expertise

Chemistry Education Research
General Chemistry Laboratories
Spectrophotometry and Gravimetric Analysis
Intermolecular Forces
Curriculum and Assessment Development
Biology and Chemistry Instruction

Research

Mr. Milligan’s research centers on student learning in undergraduate chemistry laboratories, particularly how students develop mechanistic reasoning and conceptual understanding of spectrophotometry, gravimetric analysis, and intermolecular forces. His work includes mixed-methods analysis of laboratory interventions, phenomenographic studies of student perception, and curriculum design aligned with coherent assessment frameworks.

Courses Taught / Supported

Foundations of Chemical Inquiry I General Chemistry Laboratory
Introductory Chemistry for Science Majors
Introductory Biology Laboratories

Selected Publications

Milligan, R. D.; Stec, E.; Wink, D. J. To See IMFs on a Surface of Glass: A General Chemistry Lab Exploring Intermolecular Forces on Surface Structures through Causal Mechanistic Reasoning. Journal of Chemical Education, 2025.

Milligan, R. D.; Wink, D. J. Mass Is Better than Light: Students’ Perception of Using Spectrophotometry and Gravimetric Analysis to Determine the Formula of a Hydrate in the General Chemistry Lab. Journal of Chemical Education, 2024, 101 (5), 1822–1835.

Demirbuga, M.; Wink, D. J.; Milligan, R. D. Introduction to Fluorescence in General Chemistry Using the Intercalation of Propidium Iodide with DNA. Journal of Chemical Education, 2024, 101 (10), 4327–4332.

Papadantonakis, G.; Jursich, G.; Rickoff, T.; Stec, E.; Milligan, R. D.; Wink, D. J. Foundations of Chemical Inquiry 1. Hayden-McNeil, 2024.

Sun, C.; O’Connor, M. J.; Lee, D.; Wink, D. J.; Milligan, R. D. Formal Aminocyanation of α,β-Unsaturated Cyclic Enones for the Efficient Synthesis of α-Amino Ketones. Angewandte Chemie, 2014.