Research in Chemistry

Chemistry research is wide-ranging, with an emphasis on biomolecular compounds and drug discovery.

Undergraduate research in chemistry is a great way to get first-hand, real-life experience in a lab setting. The College of Science and Mathematics provides students access to the Chemical and Biomolecular Analysis Facility, a core resource with state-of-the-art instrumentation, including NMR, ICP, CD, and XRD spectroscopy, among others.

Contact Us

Department of Chemistry

Health Sciences Campus

Science & Mathematics Building

706-729-2259

chemistry@augusta.edu

Fundamental Backbone

Research Areas

Contact faculty member for more information on specific research areas.

Biochemistry

Also called biological chemistry, looks at the compounds and transformations associated with living organisms. It investigates the substances involved, the pathways and their mechanisms, signaling and regulation, energy changes, and the interaction of biomolecules with other substances.

Faculty: Dr. Mandy Green / Dr. Shogo Mori / Dr. Angela Spencer

Chemical Education

How do students learn chemistry and how can we improve their understanding of chemistry using a variety of different teaching methods.

Faculty: Dr. Thomas Crute / Dr. Angela Spencer

Computational Chemistry

Examines the chemical design of potential pharmaceutical agents using quantitative structure-activity relationships, molecular modeling, and dynamics to assess pharmacological targets.

Faculty: Dr. Mandy Green / Dr. Siva Panda

Green Chemistry

Designing materials and processes to reduce or eliminate the output of hazardous substances in chemical product design, manufacture, and application.

Faculty: Dr. Brian Agee

Materials Science

Research into understanding and developing materials with new applications to better solve technological, societal, and environmental problems.

Faculty: Dr. Mustafa Culha / Dr. Shaobin Miao

Medicinal Chemistry

The study of compounds with pharmaceutical properties, we look at the designing and synthesizing of new drug compounds, identification and isolation of medicinal compounds from nature, and research into how to produce drugs that are cost-effective and environmentally friendly.

Faculty: Dr. Thomas Crute / Dr. Siva Panda

Natural Product Chemistry

Natural products are valued because they come from living organisms. We discover, isolate, and identify potentially useful new products from substances produced in nature.

Faculty: Dr. Mandy Green / Dr. Shogo Mori / Dr. Siva Panda

Nuclear Science/Radiochemistry

The study of unstable isotopes that decay and emit radioactivity. Research looks at radiation levels and the effects of exposure to radioactive materials, and separation methods for application to nuclear forensics and the nuclear fuel cycle.

Faculty: Dr. Joe Newton

Organic Synthesis

Organic Synthesis: Involves the design and construction of desired organic substances and development of new reactions. Organic compounds represent the largest group of known substances and their many applications, including drugs, food, fuel, explosives, plastics, enzymes, cosmetics, fabrics, and biological molecules.

Faculty: Dr. Brian Agee / Dr. Thomas Crute / Dr. Cheryl Eidell / Dr. Shaobin Miao / Dr. Siva Panda

Physical Chemistry

The fundamental understanding of the physical and chemical properties of atoms and molecules in gases, condensed phases, and solid-state materials for various technologies. Research looks into connecting theory and experiment within the broad topics of thermodynamics, kinetics, quantum mechanics, and spectroscopy.

Faculty: Dr. Mandy Green

Phytochemistry

A marriage of chemistry and botany, phytochemistry focuses primarily on the study of the chemical composition of plants and explanation of the various plant processes in which chemical phenomena are concerned.

Faculty: Dr. Mandy Green

Creativity, Discovery, Engagement

Publications

Publication
A spin–rotation mechanism of Einstein–de Haas effect based on a ferromagnetic disk Nie, X., Li, J., Datta, T. & Yao, D. X., Oct 2024, In: Frontiers of Physics. 19, 5, 53201. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Ultrasound stimulated piezoelectric barium titanate and boron nitride nanotubes in nonconductive poly-ϵ-caprolactone nanofibrous scaffold for bone tissue engineering Çobandede, Z. & Çulha, M., Mar 25 2024, In: Nanotechnology. 35, 13, 135101. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Periodicity staircase in a centrosymmetric Fe/Gd magnetic thin film system Singh, A., Li, J., Montoya, S. A., Morley, S., Fischer, P., Kevan, S. D., Fullerton, E. E., Yao, D. X., Datta, T. & Roy, S., Dec 2024, In: npj Quantum Materials. 9, 1, 2. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Spiroindole-containing compounds bearing phosphonate group of potential M^pro-SARS-CoV-2 inhibitory properties Bekheit, M. S., Panda, S. S., Kariuki, B. M., Mahmoud, S. H., Mostafa, A. & Girgis, A. S., Oct 5 2023, In: European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. 258, 115563. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Microwave-assisted synthesis of five-membered azaheterocyclic systems using nanocatalysts Panda, S. S. & Hansen, D. W., Jan 1 2023, Nanoparticles in Green Organic Synthesis: Strategy towards Sustainability. Elsevier, p. 255-278 24 p. Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter
Indole-Based Compounds as Potential Drug Candidates for SARS-CoV-2 Girgis, A. S., Panda, S. S., Kariuki, B. M., Bekheit, M. S., Barghash, R. F. & Aboshouk, D. R., Sep 2023, In: Molecules. 28, 18, 6603. Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
PREFACE Panda, S. S., 2024, In: Mini-Reviews in Organic Chemistry. 21, 1, p. 2 1 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Editorial › peer-review
Rhodium-Catalyzed Regioselective C3_Ar Functionalization of Tyrosines with Maleimides and Its Late-Stage Peptide Exemplification Kharat, N. D., Naharwal, S., Tank, D., Panda, S. S., Bajaj, K. & Sakhuja, R., Oct 27 2023, In: Organic Letters. 25, 42, p. 7673-7677 5 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Systematic Investigation of Cellular Response to Hydroxyl Group Orientation Differences on Gold Glyconanoparticles Sarıçam, M., Ercan Ayra, M. & Culha, M., Nov 14 2023, In: ACS Omega. 8, 45, p. 42921-42935 15 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Advancing Efficiency and Stability of Lead, Tin, and Lead/Tin Perovskite Solar Cells: Strategies and Perspectives Khadka, D. B., Shirai, Y., Yanagida, M., Ryan, J. W., Song, Z., Barker, B. G., Dhakal, T. P. & Miyano, K., Nov 2023, In: Solar RRL. 7, 21, 2300535. Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
Molecular Hybridization of Alkaloids Using 1,2,3-Triazole-Based Click Chemistry Buchanan, D., Pham, A. M., Singh, S. K. & Panda, S. S., Nov 2023, In: Molecules. 28, 22, 7593. Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Tri-Substituted 1,3,5-Triazines from Metformin Using Benzotriazole Chemistry Panda, S. S., Thomas, E. & Pham, A. M., Dec 2022, In: Reactions. 3, 4, p. 516-524 9 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Editorial: Advances in natural product chemistry: Yunnan University 100th anniversary Chen, W., Dong, J. & Panda, S. S., 2023, In: Frontiers in Chemistry. 11, 1234211. Research output: Contribution to journal › Editorial › peer-review
Potential RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) inhibitors as prospective drug candidates for SARS-CoV-2 Bekheit, M. S., Panda, S. S. & Girgis, A. S., Apr 5 2023, In: European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. 252, 115292. Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
Capsaicin binds the N-terminus of Hsp90, induces lysosomal degradation of Hsp70, and enhances the anti-tumor effects of 17-AAG (Tanespimycin) Patwardhan, C. A., Kommalapati, V. K., Llbiyi, T., Singh, D., Alfa, E., Horuzsko, A., Korkaya, H., Panda, S., Reilly, C. A., Popik, V. & Chadli, A., Dec 2023, In: Scientific reports. 13, 1, 13790. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Discrimination of Receptor-Mediated Endocytosis by Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Yilmaz, D. & Culha, M., May 24 2022, In: Langmuir. 38, 20, p. 6281-6294 14 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
DNA Gyrase as a Target for Quinolones Spencer, A. C. & Panda, S. S., Feb 2023, In: Biomedicines. 11, 2, 371. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Editorial: Current approaches in infectious disease drug discovery Silva-Jr, F. P., Panda, S. S., Andrade, C. H. & Furnham, N., Nov 30 2022, In: Frontiers in Chemistry. 10, 1102402. Research output: Contribution to journal › Editorial › peer-review
PREFACE Panda, S. S., Feb 2023, In: Mini-Reviews in Organic Chemistry. 20, 1, p. 2 1 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Editorial › peer-review
Spirooxindole: A Versatile Biologically Active Heterocyclic Scaffold Panda, S. S., Girgis, A. S., Aziz, M. N. & Bekheit, M. S., Jan 2023, In: Molecules. 28, 2, 618. Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
New NSAID Conjugates as Potent and Selective COX-2 Inhibitors: Synthesis, Molecular Modeling and Biological Investigation Bokhtia, R. M., Panda, S. S., Girgis, A. S., Samir, N., Said, M. F., Abdelnaser, A., Nasr, S., Bekheit, M. S., Dawood, A. S., Sharma, H., Wade, M., Sharma, S. K. & Ghanim, A. M., Feb 2023, In: Molecules. 28, 4, 1945. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Bicyclic 6-6 Systems With One Bridgehead (Ring Junction) Nitrogen Atom: Four Extra Heteroatoms 2:2 Panda, S. S. & Carr, J. A., Jan 1 2021, Comprehensive Heterocyclic Chemistry IV. Elsevier, p. 297-304 8 p. Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter
Azomethine Ylides—Versatile Synthons for Pyrrolidinyl-Heterocyclic Compounds Panda, S. S., Aziz, M. N., Stawinski, J. & Girgis, A. S., Jan 2023, In: Molecules. 28, 2, 668. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Modified Curcumins as Potential Drug Candidates for Breast Cancer: An Overview Flint, A. L., Hansen, D. W., Brown, L. V. D., Stewart, L. E., Ortiz, E. & Panda, S. S., Dec 2022, In: Molecules. 27, 24, 8891. Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
Investigation of effects of transferrin-conjugated gold nanoparticles on hippocampal neuronal activity and anxiety behavior in mice Yavuz, Y., Yesilay, G., Guvenc Tuna, B., Maharramov, A., Culha, M., Erdogan, C. S., Garip, G. A. & Yilmaz, B., Aug 2023, In: Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry. 478, 8, p. 1813-1824 12 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Ursolic Acid Analogs as Potential Therapeutics for Cancer Panda, S. S., Thangaraju, M. & Lokeshwar, B. L., Dec 2022, In: Molecules. 27, 24, 8981. Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
Novel Curcumin Mimics: Design, Synthesis, Biological Properties and Computational Studies of Piperidone-Piperazine Conjugates Youssef, M. A., Panda, S. S., Aboshouk, D. R., Said, M. F., El Taweel, A., GabAllah, M., Fayad, W., Soliman, A. F., Mostafa, A., Fawzy, N. G. & Girgis, A. S., Aug 19 2022, In: ChemistrySelect. 7, 31, e202201406. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Synthesis of Potential Antiviral Agents for SARS-CoV-2 Using Molecular Hybridization Approach Wyman, K. A., Girgis, A. S., Surapaneni, P. S., Moore, J. M., Abo Shama, N. M., Mahmoud, S. H., Mostafa, A., Barghash, R. F., Juan, Z., Dobaria, R. D., Almalki, A. J., Ibrahim, T. S. & Panda, S. S., Sep 2022, In: Molecules. 27, 18, 5923. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Development of spiro-3-indolin-2-one containing compounds of antiproliferative and anti-SARS-CoV-2 properties Fawazy, N. G., Panda, S. S., Mostafa, A., Kariuki, B. M., Bekheit, M. S., Moatasim, Y., Kutkat, O., Fayad, W., El-Manawaty, M. A., Soliman, A. A. F., El-Shiekh, R. A., Srour, A. M., Barghash, R. F. & Girgis, A. S., Dec 2022, In: Scientific reports. 12, 1, 13880. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Label-Free Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy for Cancer Detection Avci, E., Yilmaz, H., Sahiner, N., Tuna, B. G., Cicekdal, M. B., Eser, M., Basak, K., Altıntoprak, F., Zengin, I., Dogan, S. & Çulha, M., Oct 2022, In: Cancers. 14, 20, 5021. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Influence of Protein Size on Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) Spectra in Binary Protein Mixtures Avci, E. & Culha, M., Aug 2014, In: Applied Spectroscopy. 68, 8, p. 890-899 10 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Gold nanoparticles conjugated DNA-tile nanomaterials for simultaneous delivery of morpholino antisense oligonucleotides and doxorubicin Tunc, C. U. & Culha, M., Aug 2022, In: Journal of Drug Delivery Science and Technology. 74, 103546. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Development of a SERS based cancer diagnosis approach employing cryosectioned thyroid tissue samples on PDMS Mert, S., Sancak, S., Aydın, H., Fersahoğlu, A. T., Somay, A., Özkan, F. & Çulha, M., Aug 2022, In: Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology, and Medicine. 44, 102577. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Raman and surface-enhanced Raman scattering for biofilm characterization Keleştemur, S., Avci, E. & çulha, M., Mar 1 2018, In: Chemosensors. 6, 1, 5. Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
Characterization techniques of living cells encapsulated with nanomaterials Çulha, M., 2014, In: RSC Smart Materials. 2014-January, 9, p. 80-97 18 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Surface-enhanced Raman scattering of proteins Kahraman, M., Sur, I. & Culha, M., 2010, XXII International Conference on Raman Spectroscopy, ICORS 2010. p. 1055-1056 2 p. (AIP Conference Proceedings; vol. 1267). Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution
Nanospectroscopy Nanospectroscopy Çulha, M., Nov 1 2015, In: Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry. 407, 27, p. 8175-8176 2 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Editorial › peer-review
Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering for Label-Free Living Single Cell Analysis Kuku, G., Altunbek, M. & Culha, M., Nov 7 2017, In: Analytical Chemistry. 89, 21, p. 11160-11166 7 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Exploiting urazole’s acidity for fabrication of hydrogels and ion-exchange materials Hanay, S. B., Fallah, A., Senturk, E., Yetim, Z., Afghah, F., Yilmaz, H., Culha, M., Koc, B., Zarrabi, A. & Varma, R. S., Dec 2021, In: Gels. 7, 4, 261. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Effects of developmental exposure to silver in ionic and nanoparticle form: A study in rats Charehsaz, M., Hougaard, K. S., Sipahi, H., Ekici, A. I. D., Kaspar, Ç., Culha, M., Bucurgat, Ü. Ü. & Aydin, A., 2016, In: DARU, Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 24, 1, 24. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Characterization of Yeast Species Using Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Sayin, I., Kahraman, M., Sahin, F., Yurdakul, D. & Culha, M., Nov 2009, In: Applied Spectroscopy. 63, 11, p. 1276-1282 7 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Surface-raman scattering for medical applications Çulha, M., Aug 31 2012, Biomedical Nanosensors. Pan Stanford Publishing Pte. Ltd., p. 97-119 23 p. Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter
Evaluation of newly synthesized and commercially available charged cyclomaltooligosaccharides (cyclodextrins) for capillary electrokinetic chromatography Culha, M., Schell, F. M., Fox, S., Green, T., Betts, T. & Sepaniak, M. J., Jan 22 2004, In: Carbohydrate Research. 339, 2, p. 241-249 9 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Development of Isatin-Based Schiff Bases Targeting VEGFR-2 Inhibition: Synthesis, Characterization, Antiproliferative Properties, and QSAR Studies Seliem, I. A., Panda, S. S., Girgis, A. S., Tran, Q. L., Said, M. F., Bekheit, M. S., Abdelnaser, A., Nasr, S., Fayad, W., Soliman, A. A. F., Sakhuja, R., Ibrahim, T. S., Abdel-Samii, Z. K. M. & Al-Mahmoudy, A. M. M., Jul 5 2022, In: ChemMedChem. 17, 13, e202200164. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Design, Synthesis, and Molecular Docking Studies of Curcumin Hybrid Conjugates as Potential Therapeutics for Breast Cancer Panda, S. S., Tran, Q. L., Rajpurohit, P., Pillai, G. G., Thomas, S. J., Bridges, A. E., Capito, J. E., Thangaraju, M. & Lokeshwar, B. L., Apr 6 2022, In: Pharmaceuticals. 15, 4, 451. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Design and synthesis of ibuprofen-quinoline conjugates as potential anti-inflammatory and analgesic drug candidates Ghanim, A. M., Girgis, A. S., Kariuki, B. M., Samir, N., Said, M. F., Abdelnaser, A., Nasr, S., Bekheit, M. S., Abdelhameed, M. F., Almalki, A. J., Ibrahim, T. S. & Panda, S. S., Feb 2022, In: Bioorganic Chemistry. 119, 105557. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Discovery of Highly Potent Fusion Inhibitors with Potential Pan-Coronavirus Activity That Effectively Inhibit Major COVID-19 Variants of Concern (VOCs) in Pseudovirus-Based Assays Curreli, F., Ahmed, S., Victor, S. M. B., Drelich, A., Panda, S. S., Altieri, A., Kurkin, A. V., Tseng, C. T. K., Hillyer, C. D. & Debnath, A. K., Jan 2022, In: Viruses. 14, 1, 69. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Synthesis, Antibacterial Evaluation, and Computational Studies of a Diverse Set of Linezolid Conjugates Bokhtia, R. M., Girgis, A. S., Ibrahim, T. S., Rasslan, F., Nossier, E. S., Barghash, R. F., Sakhuja, R., Abdel-Aal, E. H., Panda, S. S. & Al-Mahmoudy, A. M. M., Feb 2022, In: Pharmaceuticals. 15, 2, 191. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
3-Alkenyl-2-oxindoles: Synthesis, antiproliferative and antiviral properties against SARS-CoV-2 Girgis, A. S., Panda, S. S., Srour, A. M., Abdelnaser, A., Nasr, S., Moatasim, Y., Kutkat, O., El Taweel, A., Kandeil, A., Mostafa, A., Ali, M. A., Fawzy, N. G., Bekheit, M. S., Shalaby, E. S. M., Gigli, L., Fayad, W. & Soliman, A. A. F., Sep 2021, In: Bioorganic Chemistry. 114, 105131. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
New Pyrazine Conjugates: Synthesis, Computational Studies, and Antiviral Properties against SARS-CoV-2 Seliem, I. A., Girgis, A. S., Moatasim, Y., Kandeil, A., Mostafa, A., Ali, M. A., Bekheit, M. S. & Panda, S. S., Nov 19 2021, In: ChemMedChem. 16, 22, p. 3418-3427 10 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Research News

Two college students work with a professor while writing on a white board in a classroom.

Physics faculty publishes article in Nature family of journals

Augusta University researcher named to 2023 Class of Fellows for the National Academy of Inventors

A man standing in a green, open space in front of a building.

Augusta University researcher awarded Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant for disease detection research

An Education Like No Other

The College of Science and Mathematics provides students with strong foundations in the sciences as well as preparation for careers, citizenship, and a life-long love of learning. We are committed to providing experiences promoting scientific inquiry and discovery and dedicated to creating opportunities for intellectual growth and community involvement.

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