Colton Sheehan grew up in Farmville, Virginia. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Virginia, where he received a B.S. in Chemistry and a B.A. in physics. During his undergraduate career, Colton developed nanomaterial catalysts for various energy conversion reactions under the tutelage of Dr. Sen Zhang.

Currently, as a graduate student in the Mallouk group, Colton is working on the integration of molecular catalysts onto semiconductor substrates for the efficient production of liquid fuels.

Outside of the research lab, Colton enjoys reading, running, and binge watching pretty much anything on Netflix.