Lydia Dawson McDaniel is originally from Fort Collins, Colorado. After graduating high school, she moved to Grand Junction to pursue her studies and continue her athletic career in track and field. She earned degrees in 2022 in biochemistry and cellular and molecular biology with a minor in physics from Colorado Mesa University. She taught as a high school science teacher for one year before deciding to pursue further education in chemistry.
Dawson McDaniel moved to Salt Lake City, Utah to study organic chemistry at the University of Utah. She worked under Matthew Sigman, PhD. Her projects primarily focused on frontal ring-opening metathesis polymerization optimization and customization through computation and data science. She earned an MS in chemistry in the spring of 2025.
Dawson McDaniel teaches with the strong belief that everyone is capable of understanding and loving chemistry. She believes in creative, interactive and inclusive learning environment where every student feels empowered to participate. She emphasizes that it is okay to make mistakes, and understanding difficult concepts takes time. She incorporates active learning, collaboration and meaningful engagement, while appreciating the diverse perspectives, experiences and learning styles of individual students. She believes it is very important to treat each other as humans and values the time her students.
Outside of chemistry and teaching, Dawson McDaniel enjoys spending time with her family, skiing, water sports, baking, reading and watching a good movie.