Recent News & Events in Chemistry and Biochemistry
2025 News and Events
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Spring
- Congratulations to Prof. Ben Williams for being awarded a UNF Foundation Grant for $24,000 for his project entitled "Creating Value-Added Products from Landfill Gas Using Composite Catalysts." The funding will support both undergraduates and graduate students in his research lab.
- Congratulations to Prof. Liangyong Mei on his recent article "Visible-Light-Mediated Rose Bengal- or [Ru(bpy)3]2+-Catalyzed Radical [4 + 2] Cycloaddition: An Efficient Route to Tetrahydrocarbazole" published in ACS Omega with two undergraduate students, Cody Bishir and Abbey Hubbard.
- Congratulations to Prof. Josh Melko and his undergraduate, Jack Suggs, on their publication "Hydrolysis Reactions of p-Nitrophenyl Trifluoroacetate and S-Ethyl Trifluorothioacetate" in Molecules.
- UNF faculty, Prof. Ben Williams, focus research on carbon dioxide removal to alleviate effects of climate change https://www.unf.edu/newsroom/2024/12/De-la-Cruz-Williams-Carbon-Dioxide-Removal.html
- Congratulations to Prof. Will Jones on being awarded a UNF Institute of Environmental Research and Education Seed Grant entitled “Improving Contaminant Limits of Detection Using Multi-Channel Dilution Analysis” for $10,000.
- Congratulations to Prof. Ken Laali on publishing "Recent Advances in the Synthesis of Organic Thiocyano (SCN) and Selenocyano (SeCN) Compounds, Their Chemical Transformations and Bioactivity," in Molecules.
- Congratulations to Profs. Bryan Knuckley, Corey Causey, and Fatima Rehman for recieving a MedNexus Innovative Therapeutics Development Grant for $70,000 to continue their work on cancer therapeutics targeting the Protein Arginine Methyltransferase family of enzymes.
- Congratulations to Prof. TJ Mullen on receiving funding from the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund (ACS-PRF) for his proposal entitled "Tailoring Nanostructure Morphology and Catalytic Behavior for Hydrocarbon Oxidation" for $70,000.
2024 News and Events
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Fall 2024
- Congratulations to Prof. Ben Williams on being awarded a contract with NRS Labs LLC for $12,500 on a project entitled "Optimization of Monolithic Carbon Structures for Energy Storage."
- Congratulations to Prof. Szymon Ciesielski for being awarded a UNF High Impact Practice Grant in the amount of $15,000 for his project entitled "Protein Structure and Function: from Virtual Reality to Laboratory Experience."
- Congratulations to Prof. Will Jones for being awarded a UNF High Impact Practice Grant in the amount of $10,200 for his project entitled “Enabling One-on-One Mentorship for Cutting Edge Research in Analytical Chemistry.”
- Congratulations to Profs. TJ Mullen and Greg Wurtz on recieving funding from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for $250,000 to acquire an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM)!
- Congratulations to Prof. Stuart Chalk on recieving a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant for $300,000 focused on the development of an open digital research notebook.
- Welcome to the new members of our Chemistry & Biochemistry family:
- Dr. Elzie Black – Laboratory Lecturer
- Dr. Ana Restrepo – Laboratory Lecturer
- Dr. Elizabeth Carey – Visiting Laboratory Lecturer
- Dr. Shayla Bajalia – Visiting Laboratory Lecturer
- Dr. Travis Bray – Visiting Laboratory Lecturer
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Summer 2024
- Congratulations to Prof. Thomas Mullen on publishing "In Situ Dynamic Spectroscopy Ellipsometry Characterization of Cu-Ligated Mercaptoalkanoic Acid "Moleclular" Ruler Multilayers" in Micromachines.
- Congratulations to Profs. Bryan Knuckley, Corey Causey, and Fatima Rehman (UNF Biology) on receiving a patent for the development of cancer-fighting compounds!
- Congratulations to our 2024 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows (SURF) Cohort:
- Cody Bishir
- Baher Boktor
- Soleil Cabana
- Abigail Crossman
- Reagan Elia
- Gerald Favorite
- Brian Grause
- Skyeler Klinge
- Erina Kotreli
- Jamie Ly
- Tania McCormack
- Chloe Perednia
- Noah Smith
- Ruby Soto
- Cameron Young
- Congratulations to the following students for the 2023 - 24 student awards:
- Outstanding Graduate: Chris Yazji
- Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher: Amanda Jessel
- American Institute of Chemist Award: Jordan Tucker
- ACS Analytical Chemistry Award: Will Tuten
- ACS Organic Chemistry Award: David Weldon
- ACS Inorganic Chemistry Award: Amanda Jessel
- ACS Physical Chemistry Award: Chloe Perednia
- UNF Biochemistry Award: Cameron Young
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Spring 2024
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Congratulations to Prof. Szymon Ciesielski for his project titled "Exploring the Role of Molecular Chaperones in Carcinogenesis" being awarded a MedNexus Research Innovation Fund Grant for $20,000!
- Congratulations to Prof. Eirin Sullivan for receiving the UNF Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award!
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Congratulations to Prof. Szymon Ciesielski for winning Best Poster at UNF STARS!
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Congratulations to Prof. Ken Laali on publishing “Synthesis and reactivity of a P–H functionalized benzazaphosphole” in Polyhedron.
- Congratulations to Prof. Szymon Ciesielski on publishing "Comparative structural and functional analysis of the Glycine-rich regions of Class A and B J-domain protein cochaperones of Hsp70" in FEBS Letters.
- Congratulations to Prof. Eirin Sullivan on publishing “Designing novel tunable Mn-based inorganic oxyfluoride pigments” in Materials Research Bulletin.
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Congratulations to Prof. Ben Williams on publishing “Highly Selective Photocatalytic Methane Coupling by Au-Modified Bi2WO6.“ in ACS Catalysis.
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Congratulations to Prof. Ken Laali on publishing "Gauging the Aromatic, Antiaromatic, and Nonaromatic Character of the Dications and Dianions Derived from Fused Carbocyclic and Heterocyclic Compounds" in Chemistry Select.
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2023 News and Events
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Fall
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Congratulations to Prof. Will Jones on being awarded an Academic Technology Grant for “Technologies for Chemical Research."
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Congratulations to Profs. Szymon Ciesielski, Hannah Malcolm, Amy Lane, and Bryan Knuckley on being awarded Academic Technology Grant for the acquisition of PyMOL software, a vital tool for the molecular visualization of complex compounds.
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Congratulations to Profs. Ben Williams and Florentino De la Cruz (UNF Engineering) on being awarded an Institute of Environmental Research and Education (IERE) Seed Grant for $10,000 entitled “Carbon Capture and Storage from Landfill Gas using Metal Organic Frameworks Coupled with Enhanced Weathering with Combustion Residuals.”
- Congratulations to Prof. Ken Laali for publishing "Recent Advances in the Synthesis of Propargyl Derivatives, and Their Application as Synthetic Intermediates and Building Blocks" in Molecules.
- Congratulations to Prof. Szymon Ciesielski for publishing "The Hsp70 and JDP proteins: Structure-function perspective on molecular chaperone activity" in Enzymes.
- Congratulations to Prof. Szymon Ciesielski for publishing "Analysis of Reconstituted Tripartite Complex Supports Avidity-based Recruitment of Hsp70 by Substrate Bound J-domain Protein" in the Journal of Molecular Biology.
- Congratulations to Prof. Szymon Ciesielski for being awarded the Jim Van Vleck Teaching Excellence Award.
- Congratulations to Prof. Eirin McBride for being awarded a UNF COAS Research Enhancement Plan Award.
- Congratulations to Prof. Ben Williams for being awarded a UNF COAS Dean's Leadership Award.
- Welcome to the new members of our Chemistry & Biochemistry family:
- Dr. Liangyong Mei – Assistant Professor of Bioorganic Chemistry
- Dr. Benjamin Williams – Assistant Professor of Physical Chemistry
- Dr. Elzie Black – Visiting Laboratory Lecturer
- Congratulations to Prof. Bryan Knuckley on being promoted to Full Professor.
- Congratulations to Prof. Melissa Bush on being promoted to University Lab Lecturer.
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Summer
- Congratulations to our 2023 Johnson & Johnson Vision Sponsored Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Cohort:
- Amanda Jessel
- Hana Kabil
- Skyeler Klinge
- Tania McCormack
- Cassidy Nguyen
- Gustavo Perez
- Jordan Tucker
- Cameron Young
- What’s in the water? Nearly half of US drinking water is estimated to contain ‘forever chemicals’ featuring Prof. Brynna Jones on News4Jax.
- Congratulations to our 2023 Johnson & Johnson Vision Sponsored Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Cohort:
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Spring
- Congratulations to Prof. Szymon Ciesielski for being named UNF Undergraduate Mentor of the Year!
- The UNF Department of Chemistry has been renamed to the UNF Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry!
- Prof. Amy Lane (PI) along with Prof. Terri Ellis (Co-PI; UNF Biology) and Prof. Judy Ochrietor (Senior Key Personnel) are awarded an Undergraduate Research Training Initiative for Student Enhancement (U-RISE) grant from the National Institute of Health (NIH) for more than $1,000,000 to help promote student success across UNF’s biology, chemistry, and physics undergraduate student population.
- UNF Chemistry student, Zachary Burkhead was awarded a spot for the Catalyzing Advocacy in Science and Engineering (CASE) Workshop! The American Chemical Society only sponsors two students nationwide from a pool of both undergrads and grad students. Zach will go to Washington DC for three days in March to learn about the federal policy-making process, network with policy professionals, and collaborate with other students engaged with science policy.
- Prof. Josh Melko has returned from his sabbatical as an ACS Congressional Fellow.
- Prof. Stuart Chalk received the UNF Outstanding Faculty Scholarship Award!
- Melissa Bush received the UNF Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award!
- Prof. Brynna Jones was awarded a UNF Shared Research Instrumentation Grant (SRIG) for $101,750 entitled "Acquisition of a 3D Digital Image Correlation System for Science and Engineering Research.”
2022 News and Events
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Fall
- Prof. Szymon Ciesielski was awarded a College of Arts & Sciences Research Enhancement Plan Award for his proposal, "The role of DNAJB1 co-chaperone protein in human neurodegenerative diseases." Congratulations Prof. Ciesielski!
- Dr. Sam Xia, Analytical Instrumentation Facility Manager, was awarded a UNF SPOT Award!
- An exciting day for our department as we hosted a Ribbon Cutting and Research Symposium to formally open our renovated space and to honor our 2022 Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Summer Research Fellows. These fellows were part of our inaugural Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) sponsored by Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc.
- https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2022/sep/12/unf-johnson-and-johnson-vision-partner-for-research/
- https://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2022/09/12/unf-unveils-new-chemistry-wing.html
- https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2022/09/09/unf-announces-new-chemistry-wing-to-improve-teaching-and-research/
- UNF Chemistry launches a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry
- Welcome to the new members of our Chemistry family:
- Dr. Will Jones – Assistant Professor of Analytical Chemistry
- Dr. Arthur Omran – Lecturer of Chemistry
- Dr. Emily Rigsby – Visiting Laboratory Lecturer
- Sarah Nix – Laboratory Manager
- Congratulation to Profs. Bryan Knuckley and Corey Causey for publishing “A peptoid-based inhibitor of protein arginine methyltransferase 1 (PRMT1) induces apoptosis and autophagy in cancer cells” in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
- Congratulations to Prof. Hannah Malcolm on receiving tenure and being promoted to Associate Professor.
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Summer
- Congratulations to Prof. Amy Lane for being awarded the Terry Presidential Professorship.
- UNF Chemistry launches a Summer Undergraduate Research Program sponsored by Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc.
- Congratulations to our 2022 Johnson & Johnson Vision Sponsored Student Interns:Elise Ballash, Zachary Burkhead, Isabella Cioffi, Brooklyn Dailey, Brandon Guerin, Amanda Jessel, Seth Shearer, Caroline Teeter, Natacha Tirado, and Jordan Tucker.
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Spring
- UNF Chemistry launches a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry (starting Fall 2022)
- Congratulations to Prof. Stuart Chalk for being selected as the UNF Distinguished Professor Runner Up.
- Congratulations to Prof. Melissa Bush on being awarded a UNF Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award.
- Congratulations to each of those groups on having their UNF Shared Research Instrumentation proposals selected for funding.
- Congratulations to Profs. Mike Lufaso and Eirin Sullivan for their proposal “Acquisition of a UV-Vis Spectrometer with Integrating Sphere,” at the amount of $47,021!
- Congratulations to Prof. TJ Mullen (Co-PI) along with Profs. Greg Wurtz, Maitri Warusawithana, and Dan Santavicaa (PI) for their proposal “Acquisition of a Reactive Ion Etcher (RIE) for Materials Research at UNF,” being funded at the amount of $95,130!
- Congratulations to Prof. Szymon Ciesielski (PI) with Co-PI’s Profs. Hannah Malcolm, Amy Lane, and Bryan Knuckley for their proposal “iBright Imaging System – essential research instrumentation for the Chemistry Department,” at the amount of $34,000!
- Congratulations to Prof. Art Omran on his latest publication “Oxidative Phosphorus Chemistry Perturbed by Minerals” published in Life as part of a special issue on The Origin and Early Evolution of Life: Prebiotic Systems Chemistry Perspective.
- Congratulations to Prof. Ken Laali on his recent retirement and being selected as Emeritus Faculty.
- Congratulations to The American Chemical Society of University of North Florida Student Chapter on receiving funding to support the attendance of your student members at the Spring 2022 ACS Meeting.
2021 News and Events
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Fall
- Congratulations to Prof. Ken Laali for his new Patent on curcuminoids Curcuminoid-Inspired Synthetic Compounds as Anti-Tumor Agents, US Patent 11,117,907 B2
- Congratulations to Prof. Brynna Jones for publishing “Toward absolute viability measurements for bacteria” in the Journal of Biophotonics.
- Congratulations to Prof. Arthur Omran for publishing “Phosphine Generation Pathways on Rocky Planets” in Astrobiology.
- Congratulations to Prof. Ken Laali for being named Associate Editor for Frontiers in Chemistry/Organic Chemistry and Editorial Board Member for Molecules/Organic Section.
- Congratulations to Prof. Barnali Mondal for receiving an American Chemical Society Short Lab Skills Course Grant ($3000) to create and teach a course on the development of hands-on lab skills.
- Congratulations to Prof. Eirin Sullivan for receiving a UNF College of Arts & Sciences Dean’s Leadership Council Faculty Fellowship.
- Congratulations to Prof. TJ Mullen for receiving a UNF College of Arts & Sciences Dean’s Leadership Council Faculty Fellowship.
- Congratulations to Prof. Eirin Sullivan for publishing "Leishmania tarentolae novel responses to Bi3+-doped strontium aluminum oxyfluorides" in Heliyon.
- Presidential Professor Prof. Ken Laali has published four new research papers in organic synthesis. See his extensive list of research papers on his ORCID page.
- Welcome to the new members of our Chemistry family!
- Dr. Szymon Ciesielski – Assistant Professor of Biochemistry
- Dr. Arthur Omran – Visiting Assistant Professor
- Dr. Dewayne Black – Adjunct Faculty
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Summer
- Congratulations to Prof. Amy Lane for being promoted to Professor of Chemistry.
- Congratulations to Prof. Stuart Chalk for having his project “KnowLedger Semantic Integration Platform” funded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for $42,125.
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Spring
- Congratulations to Prof. Amy Lane for being awarded a National Science Foundation grant for $324,000 to support her research on harnessing the biochemical potential of unique ocean microorganisms.
- Congratulations to Prof. Stuart Chalk for having his project “IUPAC Recommendation Term Processing System” funded by the IUPAC for $15,000.
- Congratulations to Prof. Josh Melko for being awarded the American Chemical Society Congressional Fellowship!
- Congratulations to Prof. Stuart Chalk for publishing the article “FAIR Enough?” in Spectroscopy Europe.
- Congratulations to Prof. Amy Lane for publishing “Bioinspired Brønsted Acid-Promoted Regioselective Tryptophan Isoprenylations” in ACS Omega.
- Congratulations to Prof. Amy Lane for publishing “Review of Molecular Evolutionary Models in Drug Discovery” in the Journal of Natural Products.