Skander A. Abboud, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Research Areas: Peptide Chemistry, Chemical Biology, Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry
- Developing a practical toolbox of methodologies for synthesizing peptides and peptidomimetics with enhanced properties to address challenges in drug development and disease treatment.
Website: https://www.abboudlab.com/
Paulo F. Almeida, Ph.D.
Professor
Research areas: Biochemistry, Chemical Education, Computational/Physical Chemistry
- Peptide-Lipid Interactions in Membranes
- Lipid-Lipid and Lipid-Cholesterol Interactions in Membranes
- Membrane-Active Peptides: Cell-Penetrating Peptides, Antimicrobial Peptides
- Membrane b-Barrel Proteins and Peptides
- Biophysical Education
Website: https://sites.google.com/view/antjepauloalmeida
Veterans Hall 3055
910.962.7300
almeidap@uncw.edu
Antje Pokorny Almeida, Ph.D.
Professor
Research areas: Biochemistry, Computational/Physical Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Chemistry
- Peptide-Lipid Interactions
- Antimicrobial Peptides
- Structure and Function of Lipid Bilayers
- Lipopeptide Design
Website: https://sites.google.com/view/antjepauloalmeida/home
Veterans Hall 3053
910.962.4231
almeidaa@uncw.edu
Andrew J. Andrews, Ph.D.
Linda Sayed Distinguished Professor in Pharmaceutical Sciences
Research areas: Analytical Chemistry, Biochemistry, Pharmaceutical Chemistry
- The role of histone chaperones in chromatin dynamics
- Histone acetyltransferases (Rtt109, p300 and CBP)
- Multiproduct enzymology
- Targeted quantitative mass spectrometry for enzymology
Website: N/A
Veterans Hall 3025-C
andrewsaj@uncw.edu
G Brooks Avery, Ph.D.
Professor
Research area: Marine & Atmospheric Chemistry
- Wet and dry Atmospheric deposition of trace metals
- Contribution of sediment porewater trace metals to surface waters
- The effect of photochemistry on fluxes of trace metals to surface waters
- Sea level rise impacts on biogeochemical processes
Website: N/A
Dobo Hall 2043-A
910.962.7388
averyg@uncw.edu
Nicholas D. Chiappini, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Research area: Organic Chemistry
- Leveraging the efficiency of hydrosilylation of alkenes to build carbon-element bonds from carbon-silicon bonds using both polar (2 e-) and also photoredox (1 e-) catalysis
- Developing new synthetic routes to organobismuth compounds from non-classical precursors and their use in functionalizing small molecules
- Studying fundamental oxidative and reductive organometallic reactivity of heteroleptic organobismuth compounds
- C–H bond amination in new contexts using rhodium and other transition and non-transition metal catalysts
Website: www.chiappinichem.org
Dobo Hall 2050
chiappinin@uncw.edu
Thomas C. Coombs, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Research areas: Organic Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Chemistry
- Organocatalysis (using small organic molecules to catalyze chemical reactions)
- Photochemical method development employing ultraviolet and visible light
- Exploration of novel applications for organic azides
Website: N/A
Dobo Hall 2051
910.962.7250
coombst@uncw.edu
Heather J. Corpus
Organic Laboratory Coordinator and Lecturer
Research area: Organic Chemistry
- Organic Lab Development & Implementation
- Organic Synthesis
- Green Chemistry
Website: N/A
Dobo Hall 2001-A
910.962.7643
corpush@uncw.edu
Ming Dong, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Research areas: Biochemistry, Protein Crystallography
- Structural determination and function analysis of enzymes
- Redox and phosphorylation regulated cellular proteins
- Protein dynamics and how it relates to catalysis process
- Enzyme-inhibitor complexes and design
Website: sites.google.com/view/hbcatc
Veterans Hall 3049
Email: dongm@uncw.edu
Office: 910-962-2955
Christopher J. Halkides, Ph.D.
Professor
Research areas: Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Chemistry
- Synthesize covalent inhibitors against aspartate semialdehyde dehydrogenase
- Synthesize Trojan horse inhibitors to cross microbial membranes
- Use chemical modification to mimic a labile cysteine phosphate intermediate in protein tyrosine phosphatases
- Study the role of forensic errors in wrongful convictions
Website: N/A
Dobo Hall 2018
910.962.7427
halkidesc@uncw.edu
Robert D. Hancock, Ph.D.
Professor
Research area: Inorganic Chemistry
- Design and synthesis of ligands for selective complexation of metal ions and selective substrates
- Separation of metal ions in extractive metallurgical applications
- Metal ions in biomedical applications
Website: N/A
Dobo Hall 2033
910.962.3025
hancockr@uncw.edu
Winifred M. Johnson, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Research areas: Analytical Chemistry, Marine & Atmospheric Chemistry
- Microbial cycling of dissolved organic matter and its role in the marine carbon cycle
- Mass spectrometry, metabolomics, analysis of small molecules
- Emerging contaminants in aquatic coastal environments
Website:
https://www.johnsonbiogeochem.com/
Dobo Hall 2014-A
910.962.2902
johnsonwm@uncw.edu
S. Bart Jones, Ph.D.
Professor
Research areas: Analytical Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry
- Determination of formation constants of highly preorganized ligands with metals of interest in biochemical and nuclear energy applications using UV-Vis absorbance, fluorescence, and NMR spectroscopies.
- Examination of the participation of lanthanoid f orbitals in metal ligand bonding
- Determination of formation constants of highly preorganized low solubility ligands with lanthanoids using long path length UV-Vis absorbance
Website: N/A
Dobo Hall 2037
910.962.3211
joness@uncw.edu
Roby Kurian, Ph.D.
Lecturer
Research areas: Biochemistry, Computational/Physical Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry
- Computational studies of isolated biochemical systems
- Guiding students to become effective science communicators
- Evidence based methods to minimize disparities in equity
- Understanding narrative structures
Website: N/A
Veterans Hall 3002-C
910.962.2520
kurianr@uncw.edu
Richard Lancaster
Lecturer and Instrument Specialist
Research area: Analytical Chemistry
- Instrument repair and maintenance
- Teaching Quantitative Analysis Lab
Website: N/A
Dobo Hall 2003-A
910.962.3455
lancasterr@uncw.edu
Hee-Seung Lee, Ph.D.
Professor
Research areas: Biochemistry, Computational/Physical Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Chemistry
- Understanding the action of cell-penetrating and antimicrobial peptides against cell-membrane via molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and developing efficient cargo-delivery peptides that can bring drugs to the interior of target cell
- Understanding the catalytic activity of the binding pockets in enzymatic proteins via molecular dynamics (MD) simulations
- Investigating the nature of chemical bonding involving Lanthanides and Actinides using density functional theory (DFT) method
- Understanding the photoinduced electron transfer (PET) mechanisms of fluorescent ion sensors using time-dependent DFT (TDDFT) method to develop efficient metal ion sensors
- DFT studies of reaction mechanism, such as electrophilic radical addition to anamine
Website: http://people.uncw.edu/leehs/research.html
Veterans Hall 3025-E
910.962.2439
leehs@uncw.edu
Hyunjung Lee, Ph.D.
Director of Distance Education and Lecturer
Research area: Inorganic Chemistry
- As a program coordinator, I am excited to promote the Online M.S. in Chemistry Program at UNCW and support both its esteemed students and brilliant instructors.
- As a lecturer, I teach General Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, as well as the highly specialized fields of Nano and Supramolecular Chemistry, and Polymer and Industrial Chemistry.
- My area of study focuses on nanochemistry and its applications in the development of sensors and drug delivery vehicles.
- My research is centered on the exploration of fluorescence sensors and their underlying sensing mechanisms.
Website: N/A
Veterans Hall 3002-D
910.962.7123
leek@uncw.edu
Michael Messina, Ph.D.
Professor
Research areas: Chemical Education, Computational/Physical Chemistry
- Computational quantum dynamics
- H atom tunneling in enzyme-catalyzed quantum dynamics
- The coupled electron-nuclear quantum dynamics of metal-mediated dihydrogen activation
- Development of Modules for the real-time visualization of laser-molecule interactions (UV, IR)
- Development of algorithms for solving the time-dependent Schrodinger equation for long-time non-adiabatic processes
Website: N/A
Veterans Hall 3025-D
910.962.7298
messinam@uncw.edu
Jeremy Morgan, Ph.D.
Chair and Professor
Research areas: Organic Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Chemistry
- Student training in organic reaction development
- New catalytic methods for the synthesis of chiral, non-racemic organic molecules
- Discovery of small molecule pharmaceuticals for the treatment of human disease
- Understanding organometallic mechanism in enantioselective catalysis
Website: https://www.morganchemistry.com/
Veterans Hall 3003-A/Dobo Hall 2068
910.962.2429
morganj@uncw.edu
Remington X. Poulin, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor and Director of Spectroscopy Facilities
Research areas: Analytical Chemistry, Marine and Atmospheric Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Chemistry
- Investigating how natural products structure marine communities
- Leveraging ecological relevance of marine natural products for drug discovery
- Combinatorial mass spectrometry- and nuclear magnetic resonance-based metabolomics
- Development of analytical methodologies for biotechnology and industrial applications
- Expansion of inclusivity in chemistry and science via expanded mentorship networks
Website: https://sites.google.com/view/uncwdisco/home
Dobo Hall 1055-A
910.962.4425
poulinr@uncw.edu
Stephen A. Skrabal, Ph.D.
Professor and Associate Director for Education, Center for Marine Science
Research area: Marine & Atmospheric Chemistry
- Trace metals in water, sediments, biota
- Photochemistry of resuspendable sediments
- Sediment-water exchange
- Trace metal speciation in estuarine and marine waters
Website: N/A
CMS 1118
910.962.7160
skrabals@uncw.edu
Wendy Strangman, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Research areas: Analytical Chemistry, Marine & Atmospheric Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Chemistry
- Bacterial natural product chemistry and structure elucidation
- Mass spectrometry-based metabolomics
- Harmful algal bloom toxins and new bioactive compound discovery
- Dissolved organic matter cycling on coral reefs
- Medicinal plant extract pharmacokinetics
Website: https://sites.google.com/view/uncwdisco/home?pli=1
MARBIONC 2023-A
910.962.2393
strangmanw@uncw.edu
Nathan Turner, Ph.D.
Lecturer
Research areas: Chemistry Education
- Process-Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) in large lecture courses
- Analysis of cognitive overload in introductory chemistry courses using active learning teaching methodologies
Veterans Hall 3002-G
turnern@uncw.edu
Sridhar Varadarajan, Ph.D.
Professor
Research areas: Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Chemistry
- Design and Investigation of site-specific DNA-damaging agents targeting cancer cells.
- Developing the use of nuclear receptors for delivery of toxins to the DNA of cells.
- Mechanistic investigations of DNA-damage induced cell toxicity.
- Synthesis of anti-inflammatory compounds for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
Website: http://people.uncw.edu/varadarajans
Dobo Hall 2064
910.962.7350
varadarajans@uncw.edu
Elizabeth Walters, Ph.D.
Lecturer
Research area: Inorganic Chemistry
- Coordinator of the General Chemistry Program
- Faculty Advisor of the Chemistry Club
- Faculty Advisor of the Alpha Epsilon Chapter of Gamma Sigma Epsilon
Website: N/A
Veterans Hall 3002-E
910.962.7606
walterse@uncw.edu
Ying Wang, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Research areas: Biochemistry, Computational/Physical Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Chemistry
- Macromolecular condensation in biological systems
- age-related and hereditary cataracts
- ribonucleoprotein (RNP) granules
- Biopharmaceutical formulations
- concentrated therapeutic monoclonal antibody formulations
- mRNA lipid nanoparticle formulations
- dissolvable microneedle array patch (dMAP) delivery system
- Protein engineering
- structure-based design of pan-influenza vaccines
Website: https://www.thewanglab.org/
Veterans Hall 3045
910.962.7721
wangyy@uncw.edu
Michael R. Webb, Ph.D.
Assistant Chair and Associate Professor
Research area: Analytical Chemistry
- Instrument and technique development for diverse analytical spectroscopy applications.
- Solution-cathode glow discharge: detecting trace metals with a small plasma.
- Spectral imaging: chemical information from images, including detecting forgeries.
- Microcontroller-based spectroscopy: Arduinos, LEDs, & 3D printing used for inexpensive educational and field instruments.
Website: http://people.uncw.edu/webbm/
Veterans Hall 3047
910.962.7285
webbm@uncw.edu
Emily R. Williamson
General Chemistry Lab Coordinator and Lecturer
Research area: Natural Product Sythesis, Methodology Development
Website: N/A
Dobo Hall 1028
910.962.2770
williamsoner@uncw.edu
R. Thomas Williamson, Ph.D.
Yousry Sayed Distinguished Professor in Pharmaceutical Sciences
Research areas: Analytical Chemistry, Computational/Physical Chemistry, Marine & Atmospheric Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Chemistry
- Marine Natural Products Drug Discovery
- Development and application of new methods for molecular characterization with an emphasis on Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
- Analytical method development for biotechnology and industrial applications
Website: https://sites.google.com/view/uncwdisco/home
MARBIONC 2001-B
910.962.2397
williamsonr@uncw.edu
