About
Our research is primarily in the areas of nanoscience, computational toxicology, theoretical chemistry and chemical physics.
Current interests include inorganic nanoparticles found in the environment; structural changes in DNA caused by chemically-induced damage by environmental mutagens (polyaromatic hydrocarbons and aromatic amines); conformational dynamics of neurotransmitters; and organometallic chemistry. We are also interested in the chalcogens (sulfur, selenium and tellurium) and nanomaterials formed from elements at the metal/metalloid interface (arsenic, antimony and especially bismuth). We work collaboratively with inorganic and organic chemists to model the compounds that they synthesize in an effort to help better understand the relationships between structures, spectra and reactivity.
I coordinate the freshman general chemistry laboratory course (essentially a course in quantitative analysis) and teach freshman, junior, senior and graduate-level courses in general, physical, and inorganic chemistry. I also direct engineering students in independent research, including graduate students in chemical engineering.
This year I was honored by my students for my teaching efforts by our students and named to the 2012 Engineering Student Council's "Student's List." I was also similarly honored in 2009. My sincere thanks to you all, I am touched!
I'm on LinkedIn, and you can also follow my research discussions on ResearchGate.