Donald J. Darensbourg

Donald J. Darensbourg is an American inorganic chemist. He is a distinguished professor of chemistry at Texas A&M University.

Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1941, Darensbourg obtained a B.S. from California State University in 1964, followed by a Ph.D. from University of Illinois at Urbana in 1968 under the guidance of Theodore L. Brown.

Darensbourg started work as a research chemist at Texaco Research Center in 1968. In 1969, he was appointed assistant professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo. In 1973, he taught at Tulane University, eventually attaining the rank of professor. In 1982, Donald Darensbourg moved to Texas A&M University with Marcetta Y. Darensbourg. He was awarded the title of Distinguished Professor in 2010.

Darensbourg's research interest includes using carbon dioxide as monomer and solvent in the production of biodegradable copolymers.