Department of Chemistry

Undergraduate Research Projects

This page lists the current Chemistry Department faculty members, arranged by chemistry subdiscipline, who offer research projects for undergraduate students. Click on the faculty name for more details about their research. For general information and useful links see the Undergraduate Research page.

Analytical Chemistry

Mark R. Anderson
The structure and electrochemistry of modified interfaces.
Manufacture and application of micro electrodes to study the electrochemical behavior of conduction polymers. Application of infrared spectroscopy to study the electrode-solution interface during electrode reactions. Computer simulations to model electrode reactions. Professor Anderson prefers to work with students with at least Sophomore class standing.

Gary L. Long
Environmental analytical chemistry and atomic spectrometry.
Chemical speciation of heavy metal ion using supported liquid membranes. Transport of trace metals in groundwater. Determination of heavy metals in soils using chelate-assisted extraction.

John R. Morris
Surface analysis and reactivity.
Ultrahigh vacuum techniques applied to reactivity of surfaces. Current projects include destruction of chemicals on metal oxide films and nanoparticles and reactivity on self-assembled monolayers as a model for pulmonary interfaces. Professor Morris prefers to work with students who have completed Physical Chemistry.

Larry T. Taylor
Supercritical fluid extraction and gas chromatography.
Also supercritical fluid chromatography, GC- HPLC, chromatographic detectors, FT-IR, and MS. Professor Taylor requires a commitment of ten hours per week, with at least four continuous hours per visit.

Brian M. Tissue
Analytical and materials chemistry.
Studies of luminescent nanomaterials to understand their fundamental optical properties and to explore their uses in functional devices such as phosphors, lasers, amplifiers, and analytical sensors. Current projects include preparation and surface modification of nanoparticles, self-assembly of luminescent nanoparticles in functional structures, and enhancement and quenching mechanisms of nanoparticle luminescence. Professor Tissue prefers to work with students who have completed Analytical Chemistry.

Inorganic Chemistry

John G. Dillard
Inorganic surface chemistry and adhesion.
Surface spectroscopy, plasma surface preparation, and surface durability. Ion-damaged gallium arsenide and other compound semiconductors, adhesive bonding of composites and metals, surface and catalytic properties of metal oxides and minerals, influence of additives on the crystal growth of metal oxide particles. Professor Dullard prefers to work with students who meet the departmental requirements for undergraduate research credits and who is interested and willing to work.

Brian E. Hanson
Transition-metal carbonyl chemistry.
Synthesis, reactivity, and structural characterization of new organometallic compounds, solid state dynamics of metal carbonyls, immobilization of homogeneous catalysis, water soluble phosphines. Professor Hanson prefers to work with students who meet the departmental requirements for undergraduate research credits.

Joseph S. Merola
Inorganic and organometallic chemistry.
Design and synthesis of inorganic and organo-metallic complexes for the selective transformation of organic molecules. Professor Merola prefers to work with students with an eagerness to learn.

Gordon Yee
Inorganic and materials chemistry.
Design, synthesis and characterization of molecule-based magnetic materials. Work involves synthetic organic and inorganic chemistry, SQUID magnetometry and mathematical modelling of data. Professor Yee prefers to work with students who have started organic chemistry but will consider motivated students who have completed general chemistry.

Organic, Biological, and Polymer Chemistry

Daniel Capelluto
Function and structure of protein domains.
Our research program employs high field NMR spectroscopy, circular dichroism, protein computer modeling, liposome binding assays, fluorescence spectroscopy and surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy. Most of our research is carried out in collaboration with other research groups that center on cellular biological features. Prof. Capelluto prefers to work with students who are familiar with DNA and proteins and with a commitment of 15 h/week.

Neal Castagnoli, Jr.
Pharmacological and organic chemistry.
Drugs and other lipophilic organic compounds may undergo enzyme- catalyzed transformation reactions to generate chemically reactive species that bind covalently to biomacromolecules. Our research is concerned with the characterization of the bioorganic features and the pharmacological and toxicological significance of these transformations. Professor Castagnoli prefers to work with students with interest in both biology and chemistry.

Paul A. Deck
Fluorinated Organic Polymers and Nanodevices.
My research group explores the synthesis and properties of fluorinated organic compounds, including polymers and molecular devices having well-defined structure on the nano scale. The uniquely high electronegativity of fluorine and the unusual stability of C-F bonds give our compounds unusual physical and chemical properties. We expect to find applications for our work in materials science (stable films and coatings), alternative energy (fuel cell development), and possibly medicine (drug delivery). I do not require my research students to have any particular class standing or major, or to have had certain courses. Instead, I train each of my undergraduate students individually in the laboratory. Because of the enormous time investment that this individual training requires, I expect my students to demonstrate a high level of professionalism and self-motivation, and that includes maintaining excellent grades in their course work. Also, I can only take one or at most two undergraduates at a time, so I reserve the right to interview several students for each position and choose the one who I think is most likely to work well with me. Students in Professor Deck's group have gone on to graduate programs at Stanford, Ohio State, U of Pittsburgh, U of Chicago, Boston U, Texas A&M, Georgia Tech (Engineering), Colorado State, UC Irvine, Rice University, and Virginia Tech (Bioinformatics). Two others went to medical school (both now have MDs), and one student entered the industrial sector as a chemist in the Baltimore area and is successful there. Any student who joins my group will be a full member of my research team, and that includes publishing. Numerous of my students over the past several years have been co-authors on papers appearing in prestigious chemistry journals. Any student who loves chemistry, who enjoys being on a steep "learning curve," and who wants the chance to make a permanent, published contribution to the field should contact me to discuss opportunities.

Felicia A. Etzkorn
Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry.
Design, synthesis and evaluation of biologically active molecules. The molecules are used as probes of the cell cycle (mitosis) and have potential cancer therapeutic value. Professor Etzkorn requires that all students have completed Organic Chemistry and Organic Chemistry Laboratory. Completion of the SynTech laboratory is also highly desired. She interviews all candidates individually; email her a brief resume and a transcript. Undergraduate researchers are required to attend research group meetings.

Richard D. Gandour
Chemical biology and molecular architecture.
Design and synthesis of multi-use, multi-headed amphiphiles. Synthesis and physicochemical measurements of anti-HIVand anti-fungal topical microbicides.

Harry W. Gibson
Rotaxane and polyrotaxanes, self-assembly, macrocycle synthesis, and polymerization.
The present research activities in the Gibson group can be divided into the following major areas: I) design, synthesis and self-assembly of host-guest pairs of small molecules into "supramolecular polymers"; II) design, synthesis and self-assembly of host-guest functionalized macromolecules into larger "supramacromolecules" of various architectures; III) chemical modification of fullerenes for 1) medical imaging and therapeutics, and 2) device applications and IV) enantio- and diastereo-sleective synthesis using Reissert compounds. The work focuses on organic synthesis and host-guest interactions; we employ several important analytical techniques to study our systems: NMR, mass spectrometry, X-ray crystallography and viscometry.

David G. I. Kingston
Chemistry of biologically active natural products .
Synthesis of the side chain and analogs of the side chain of the anticancer agent taxol, and the isolation and structural elucidation of new natural products with anti-cancer activity. Professor Kingston prefers to work with students who have completed organic chemistry and (for the synthetic projects) Organic Syn-Tech Laboratory.

Timothy E. Long
Synthesis and characterization of new polymers and monomers.
Research projects would include the synthesis of new monomers for subsequent polymerization and the study of polymerization process. Special attention is devoted to free radicals, anionic and step growth polymerization processes. Current projects involve the synthesis of new polymers for semiconductor fabrication, polyurethane adhesives, living anionic polymerization, controlled radical polymerization, liquid crystalline polymers, polyesters, gas barrier polymers and carbohydrate containing polymers. Professor Long requires that all students have completed Organic Chemistry and Organic Chemistry Laboratory. Completion of the SynTech laboratory is also highly desired. Undergraduate researchers would be required to attend group research meetings which typically are scheduled on Friday afternoon or Saturday morning. Interested students should schedule a time with Prof. Long to discuss individual interests and careers.

James E. McGrath
Synthesis and characterization of macromolecules.
Anionic (organolithium) homo-, block, and random copolymerization of hydrocarbon, polar vinyl, and cyclic siloxane monomers; synthesis of poly(aryl ether) sulfones, ketones, and related polymers via nucleophilic aromatic substitution, sulfonate and carboxylate ion-containing polymers; microphase and macrophase separations in block copolymers and physical blends; network structures; epoxy, elastomers, polyurethanes, biomaterials, and surface structures of organosiloxane and other block copolymers. Professor McGrath prefers to work with students who have completed organic lecture and lab, Syn-Tech, and who can attend weekly group meetings Saturday from 9 AM to 1 PM.

James M. Tanko
Studies of the mechanism of free radical and radical ion processes.
Organic electrochemistry, application of radical rearrangements to organic synthesis. Professor Tanko prefers to work with students who have completed one year each of organic and physical chemistry, and he interviews all candidates individually.

Webster L. Santos
Bio-organic and chemical biology.
The focus of our work is the design, synthesis and evaluation of molecular entities that target specific proteins or mRNA of proteins related to disease states such as Malaria, influenza, cancer and neurodegeneration. Interested students must send transcripts and recommendation letters to Prof. Santos. Students must have time to work in lab and attend all group meetings.

Physical Chemistry

T. Daniel Crawford
Quantum chemistry.
Development and application of quantum mechanical models for computing structural, spectroscopic, and thermodynamic properties of molecules. Research focuses on high-accuracy ab initio methods for UV/visible spectra, NMR chemical shieldings, and optical rotation for large molecules. Prof. Crawford prefers to work with students who have completed a full year of physical chemistry, or who have extensive backgrounds with computer programming and/or physics.

Harry C. Dorn
New carbon based fullerene materials and Magnetic resonance spectroscopies.
Prof. Dorn has research interest in two major areas: 1) new Carbon Based Fullerene Materials and 2) Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopies. The latter area of interest involves spectroscopic studies utilizing nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), and dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP). The second area of research is the study of new carbon based materials including fullerenes ("Buckyballs"), nanotubes, and endohedral metallofullerenes. Our fullerene laboratory at Tech (FLAT) developed expertise to prepare, purify, and characterize various carbon fullerene, endohedral metallofullerene, and nano-tube samples. In the United States, FLAT leads in the area of separation of endohedral metallofullerenes. FLAT presently has active collaborations with 6 other groups at Virginia Tech and 20 other laboratories world-wide. 

Herve Marand
Polymer physical chemistry and crystallization.
Polymer crystallization kinetics, polymer crystal melting, morphology of semicrystalline polymers, structure-property correlations, physical aging of polymers. use of calorimetry, dilatometry, scattering of light and x-rays, microscopies, rheology and infrared spectroscopy techniques are used in a synergistic manner to probe the evolution of thermodynamic, morphological and relaxational behavior of polymers during their crystallization process. Professor Marand prefers to work with students who have passed successfully the first semester of Physical Chemistry and who have a genuine interest in materials.

Diego Troya
Computational chemistry.
We use cutting-edge computing technology to learn about chemical reactions that are very difficult to study in the lab. In particular, we combine very accurate electronic structure calculations with molecular dynamics simulations to study how gases interact with organic surfaces and polymers. Our goal is to understand the fundamentals whereby radicals can oxidize and degrade polymeric surfaces. Our focus is on the damaging collisions of radicals present in space atmosphere with the surfaces of the International Space Station, the Hubble Telescope, and other satellites and spacecraft designed for interplanetary travel.

Edward F. Valeev
Theoretical chemistry.
I am seeking students who want to develop advanced theoretical methods and apply them to predict properties of interests to chemists and engineers, such as: the energetics and kinetics of chemical reactions, rate of charge conductance in organic electronics, etc. My group's research emphasizes theoretical models which use only fundamental physical principles and no other assumptions. No previous experience is necessary. However, Prof. Valeev prefers students who have completed a full year of physical chemistry and who are interested in physics, math, and computer programming.