Nivaldo J. Tro received his BA degree from Westmont College and his PhD degree from Stanford University. He went on to a postdoctoral research position at the University of California at Berkeley. In 1990, he joined the chemistry faculty at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. Professor Tro has been honored as Westmont's outstanding teacher of the year three times (1994, 2001, and 2008). He was named Westmont's outstanding researcher of the year in 1996. Professor Tro lives in the foothills of Santa Barbara with his wife, Ann, and their four children, Michael, Alicia, Kyle, and Kaden. In his leisure time, Professor Tro likes to spend time with his family in the outdoors. He enjoys running, biking, surfing, and snowboarding.