Meet Our Faculty: Dr. Brandon Wilfong

Meet Dr. Brandon WilfongCSM professor Dr. Brandon Wilfong sits on a rock with a large body of water in the background, wearing a baseball cap, dark sweatshirt, and khaki pants.

Assistant Professor of Chemistry

Faculty member since 2025
bcwilfong@csmd.edu 

Courses Taught

  • CHE-1050 Intro to Chemistry

  • CHE-1200 General Chemistry I

  • CHE-1210 General Chemistry II 

  • SCE-1010 Scientific Method 

About 

I was born and raised in north-central Maryland and have lived in Maryland my whole life. I appreciate the diversity of experiences possible within our little state; within four hours you can go from the mountains to the beach and from rural countryside to metropolis. When I am not teaching or doing research, I enjoy trail running, gardening, backpacking, cooking, and generally being outdoors with my two dogs.

Educational Background 

I completed my undergraduate degree at Washington College in Chestertown, Md., studying chemistry and mathematics and playing on the varsity soccer team. I completed my Ph.D. at the University of Maryland focusing on the synthesis and characterization of transition metal superconductors.

After earning my doctorate, I completed a postdoctoral position at the United States Naval Academy teaching physics courses and researching novel antiferromagnetic materials for spintronic applications. I later completed a postdoctoral position at Johns Hopkins University focusing on exploratory synthesis of quantum materials and the integration of artificial intelligence/machine learning approaches to materials development in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.

I took a short break from academia to work at Booz Allen Hamilton, performing quantum computing and sensing research for private and government clients. 

Q&A

My teaching philosophy and style reflects my experience as a first-generation college student and my commitment to mentorship through curiosity and community.

As an educator, my goal is to spark curiosity and foster critical thinking to help students develop the ability to approach complex problems with confidence. The skills of data analysis, problem-solving, and effective communication are universally valuable. I strive to build these skills through an inclusive and supportive environment where students feel a sense of belonging and view learning as a lifelong pursuit.

Outside of the classroom and lab, I am very active in trail running and gardening. I have run a couple of ultramarathons, and every year I grow between 1,000 and 2,000 flower plants in my small backyard garden for bouquets.

  • Wilfong, B., New. A, Bassen, G., Bunstine, W., Pekala, M. J., Rao, K. K., Pogue, E. A., Gienger, E., Winiarski, M. J., McQueen, T. M., and Stiles, C. D. Ternary materials discovery using human-in-the-loop generative machine learning. RCS Advances. 2025, 15.24.

  • Wilfong, B., Zhou, X., Vivanco, H., Campbell, D. J., Wang, K., Graf, D., Paglione, J., and Rodriguez, E. E. Frustrated magnetism in the tetragonal CoSe analog of superconducting FeSe. Physical Review B, 2018, 97 (10), 104408. 

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Last updated: 3-30-26

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