Chemistry Faculty and Staff

Faculty

Spencer D. Brucks

Assistant Professor of ChemistryPhD, Columbia UniversityJacobs 2313909.607.3296sbrucks@g.hmc.edu

Organic chemistry, polymer chemistry, and chemical biology

Karl A. Haushalter

Vice President for Academic Affairs andR. Michael Shanahan Dean of the FacultyProfessor of Chemistry and BiologyPhD, Harvard UniversitySprague 403909.621.8122haushalter@hmc.edu

Molecular mechanisms of DNA repair; Interactions of proteins and nucleic acids

Professor of Chemistry and Hixon Professor of Climate Studies – on Sabbatical 2026-2027Associate Director of the Hixon Center for Climate and the EnvironmentPhD, Scripps Institution of OceanographyOlin 1261909.621.8522lhawkins@g.hmc.edu

Characterization of light-absorbing compounds in atmospheric aerosol

Colm Healy

Assistant Professor of ChemistryPhD, Trinity CollegeJ1207909.607.7073chealy@hmc.edu

Physical chemistry

Adam R. Johnson

Ray and Mary Ingwersen Professor of ChemistryChair, Department of ChemistryPhD, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyJacobs 2323909.607.8450adam_johnson@hmc.edu

Amino acid-derived ligands for the synthesis of chiral transition metal complexes and novel ligands for the synthesis of heterobimetallic complexes

Sarah C. Kavassalis

Assistant Professor of Climate and ChemistryPhD, University of TorontoOlin 1257A909.607.5860skavassalis@g.hmc.edu

Atmospheric chemistry, biosphere-atmosphere interactions, data science, and machine learning

O. Maduka Ogba

Assistant Professor of ChemistryPhD, Oregon State UniversityJacobs 1220909.607.3290mogba@g.hmc.edu

Accelerating reaction discovery using computational chemistry, high-performance computing, and informatics

Katherine M. Van Heuvelen

R. Michael Shanahan Professor of ChemistryAssociate Dean of the FacultyPhD, University of Wisconsin-MadisonJacobs 2321909.607.9019vanheuvelen@g.hmc.edu

Synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of bio-inspired transition metal complexes

Hal Van Ryswyk

John Stauffer Professor in ChemistryPhD, University of Wisconsin-MadisonKeck 2333A909.607.3908hal_vanryswyk@hmc.edu

Solar energy conversion, self-assembling molecular systems, energy and electron transfer

David A. Vosburg

Donald A. Strauss Professor of ChemistryPhD, Scripps Research InstituteJacobs 2315909.607.9701david_vosburg@hmc.edu

Biomimetic cyclizations, natural product synthesis, green chemistry, and self-assembly

Bilin Zhuang

Assistant Professor of ChemistryPhD, California Institute of TechnologyJacobs 1224909.607.6529bzhuang@hmc.edu

Theoretical and computational chemistry for liquids, solutions, and soft-matter systems

Visiting Faculty

Sara Edinger Murphy

TT Assistant Professor of Chemistrysemurphy@ucla.edu

Staff

Jon Chupka

Instrumentation Specialist University of Toledo, B.Sc. Pharmacology/Toxicology
University of Toledo, M.Sc. Pharmaceutical SciencesJacobs 2304909.607.5664jchupka@hmc.edu

Natali Carmona Guzman

Administrative CoordinatorMLIS, San Jose State UniversityJacobs 1209909.621.8092nguzman@g.hmc.edu

Daniel A. Guerra

Laboratory and Stockroom ManagerB.S. and M.S., California State Polytechnic University, PomonaJacobs 2310909.607.2957dguerra@g.hmc.edu

Annalee Sendis

Chemical Hygiene Officer and Chemistry Laboratory CoordinatorB.S., University of La VerneJacobs 2306909.607.4217asendis@g.hmc.edu

Cindy Wang

Biology and Chemistry Laboratory Technician B.A., Oberlin CollegeOlin B160909.607.4143cynwang@g.hmc.edu