Faculty Highlights

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  Donald Awarded NSF Grant

  Kelling Donald, associate dean and professor of chemistry, has received more than $375K in grant support from the National Science Foundation for his research on chemical bonding. Read more here.

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  Leopold Receives $275k Grant

  Michael Leopold, Floyd D. and Elisabeth S. Gottwald Professor of Chemistry, has been awarded a nearly $275,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to explore the development of a nanoparticle-based sensor used for detecting explosives. Read more

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  Leopold Awarded

  Michael Leopold, Floyd D. and Elisabeth S. Gottwald professor of chemistry, has been awarded a $2,000 Mednick Memorial Fellowship from the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges for his project: Exploring Halogen Bonding as a Fundamental Interaction Toward the Development of Nanoparticle-Based Sensing of Explosive Molecules.

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  Johnson Receives Summer Research Grant

  Miles Johnson, assistant professor of chemistry, has received a $17,000 Summer Research Grant from Organic Syntheses, Inc. for his project, Development of Mild Nickel-Catalyzed C–N Cross-Coupling Reactions Enabled by Modular Phosphinopyrrole Ligands.

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  Johnson Receives NSF Award

  The National Science Foundation has awarded Miles Johnson, assistant professor of chemistry, more than $500,000 in grant support from the National Science Foundation for his research on metal catalysts and developing new chemical compounds. Read more.

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  Chemistry Team Obtains Patent

  Ryan Coppage, director of introductory chemistry laboratories, along with Michael Leopold, professor of chemistry, and Christie Lacy, director of microscopy and imaging, obtained a Utility Patent for “Gold Nanoparticle in Ceramic Glaze” - U.S. Patent No. 10,913,856 on App. No. 15/790,717 / UR0002.

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  Pollock and Parish Published

  Julie Pollock, associate professor of chemistry, and Carol Parish, professor of chemistry, along with undergraduate research students published "Identification of Phenazine‐Based MEMO1 Small‐Molecule Inhibitors: Virtual Screening, Fluorescence Polarization Validation, and Inhibition of Breast Cancer Migration" in ChemMedChem.

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  Pollock Recognized

  Julie Pollock, associate professor of chemistry, received the 2020 Distinguished Educator Award for outstanding contributions to excellence in education.

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  Donald Published

  Kelling Donald, associate dean and professor of chemistry, published “Structural and Energetic Properties of RMX₃–NH₃ Complexes” in International Journal of Quantum Chemistry with UR postbaccalaureate researcher, Samuel Gillespie.

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  Norris Published

  Michael Norris, assistant professor of chemistry, published “Strategy for Functionalization of Electrodes with Discrete, Unmodified Small Molecules Exhibiting Aqueous Stability” in the Journal of Materials Chemistry A.