Organic Research

The Penn State Department of Chemistry has a growing legacy in organic and small molecule methodology and complex synthesis.  Faculty are engaged in cutting edge research that spans the realm of traditional synthesis and methodology, polymer chemistry, electrochemical methods, stimuli-responsive reactivity, and bioorganic chemistry.  Researchers have interests that are centered in new methodology for the synthesis of molecules and materials for utility in pharmaceuticals, catalysis, active/responsive networks, biomedicine, and electronic materials.

Faculty

Harry Allcock Evan Pugh University Professor of Chemistry 
Polymer synthesis, materials chemistry, and biomedicine

Bert Chandler Professor of Chemistry and of Chemical Engineering
Environmental Catalysis; Nanoparticle & Materials Synthesis; Catalytic Reaction Mechanisms

Elizabeth Elacqua Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Small molecule and polymer synthesis, supramolecular catalysis, and organic molecules under confinement

Julie Fenton Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Materials synthesis and characterization; inorganic, organic, and hybrid solids; colloidal nanomaterials; surface chemistry.

Ray Funk Professor of Chemistry
Development of new synthetic methodology with emphasis on ring construction

Ramesh Giri Weinreb Early Career Professor of Chemistry
New synthetic methods, catalysis, organometallic chemistry, and sustainable chemistry

Jonathan Kuo Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Physical Organic, Organometallic, Bioinorganic

Eric Nacsa Assistant Professor of Chemistry
New activation strategies and synthetic methods

Ayusman Sen Verne M. Willaman Professor of Chemistry
Homogeneous catalysis, polymeric materials

Steven Weinreb Professor Emeritus
Total synthesis of natural products

Ruobo Zhou Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Super-resolution fluorescence imaging, single-molecule detection, spatiotemporal organizations of biomolecules, liquid-liquid phase separation in biology, neurobiology, RNA biology.

Adjunct Faculty

Xin Zhang 
Design and synthesis of small molecules to image and modulate intracellular protein aggregates