Good Chemistry

Florida State University President Richard McCullough says there was a time in his youth when he didn’t study much or want to take classes that were particularly hard. As a matter of fact, he recalls a chemistry class that he almost dropped, but his neighbor talked him into changing his mind.

“So, I stayed in that class and went on to get a PhD in chemistry,” he says with a wry smile.

Here’s to persuasive neighbors and to McCullough, who is among the 10 inventors inducted into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame for 2025. The 12-year-old organization celebrates the state’s innovators and illustrates how their accomplishments have changed American lives for the better.

“I’m very humbled and honored,” says McCullough, who is the fourth person from FSU to be inducted. “It was a surprise.”

In 1992, McCullough discovered regioregular polythiophenes, a versatile material that has been used in transistors, solar cells, lighting, and next-generation display screens. Because of its molecular structure, the material transports electrical charges efficiently and can be made in large quantities. McCullough’s research is some of the most cited in the field and has led to further advances in flexible and low-cost electronics. He has founded two companies that applied his pioneering research to create printable electronics and reactive metal inks.

Photo courtesy of Florida State University

“The hardest thing about having a startup is that you always need money and have to convince companies to take a chance on the technology,” McCullough says.

As FSU president, McCullough, who holds 16 U.S. patents, says he is encouraging faculty to launch businesses centered on their research. That’s how he learned his work could solve real-world problems, he says, and why he’s building a robust innovation culture on campus.

“We’ve got a college of entrepreneurship and a business incubator in Ignite Tallahassee that provides business development, access to funding, and connections to community partners,” he says. “We have a living learning community for entrepreneurship, where our students are learning amazing things. And we’re especially trying to promote women entrepreneurs. I’m a very competitive person, so I’m just here to make Florida State the best university it can be.”

With McCullough at the university’s helm, there’s no doubt that he’ll soon have all the best elements for success in place.