Contact info

Dept. Chemistry & Biochemistry

18111 Nordhoff Street
Northridge, California
91330-8262

Phone: (818) 677-3381
Fax: (818) 677-4068
E-mail: chemistry@csun.edu

Office: 2102 Eucalyptus Hall

Hours: Mon-Fri 8:00am-5:00pm

Contact the Department Webmaster

 


STUDENT RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES

 

ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY:

 

Research lab:
 

Dr. Daniel Curtis (analytical)

 

Type of position:

 

   graduate research assistant(s)

Number of positions available:

 

  
2

Paid position?

 

   No - but available for course credit

Length of commitment?

 

   More than one year

Average research hours per week?

 

  
30
Brief description of research project:
 

Measurement of the optical properties of atmospheric particles.

 

Email

 

   daniel.curtis@csun.edu

Phone Number

 

   (818) 677-2479

Office

 
Citrus 3313

 

 

BIOCHEMISTRY:

 

Research lab:
 

Dr. Karin Crowhurst (biochemistry)

 

Type of position:

 

   graduate research assistant(s)

Number of positions available:

 

  
1-2

Paid position?

 

   Yes, most of the year

Length of commitment?

 

   At least 2 years

Average research hours per week?

 

  
30-40
Brief description of research project:
 

Multinuclear NMR characterization of structure and protein dynamics in neurotrophins and Trk receptors, to gain insight into molecular recognition and specificity in these neurological signaling proteins.

 

Students joining the lab will gain a wide range of skills, including wetlab experience (in areas such as DNA manipulation, protein expression and purification) and exposure to recording and analyzing multidimensional NMR data (on our brand new 600 MHz spectrometer) to obtain information about protein structure and motions.


We have a fun, hard-working and close-knit group. Take a look at our lab website for more details: www.crowhurstlab.com

 

Email

 

   karin.crowhurst(at)csun.edu

Phone Number

 

   (818) 677-4288

Office

 

  
CS 3109

molecule

 

Research lab:
 

Dr. Karin Crowhurst (biochemistry)

 

Type of position:

 

   undergraduate research assistant(s)

Number of positions available:

 

  
1-2

Paid position?

 

  

Yes, in summer only (available for course credit during school year)

 

Length of commitment?

 

   At least one year (two semesters plus the summer, or equivalent)

Average research hours per week?

 

  
12-15
Brief description of research project:
 

NMR analysis of structure and protein dynamics in RGS proteins and their Galpha receptor, to better understand molecular recognition and specificity in these signaling proteins.

Students joining the lab may gain wetlab experience (in areas such as DNA manipulation, protein expression and purification) and exposure to recording and analyzing multidimensional NMR data to obtain information about protein structure and motions.

We have a fun, hard-working and close-knit group. Take a look at our lab website for more details: www.crowhurstlab.com

 

Email

 

   karin.crowhurst(at)csun.edu

Phone Number

 

   (818) 677-4288

Office

 

  
CS 3109

molecule

 

Research lab:

 

  

Dr. Joseph Hajdu (biochemistry / bioorganic)

Type of position:

 

   undergraduate research assistant(s)

Number of positions available:

 

  
3 - 4

Paid position?

 

  

No - but available for course credit

Length of commitment?

 

   At least one semester

Average research hours per week?

 

  
12
Brief description of research project:
 

Synthesis of spectroscopically active (fluorescent, paramagnetic, metal-binding) phospholipid analogs to develop real-time assays of phospholipid hydrolyzing enzymes.

 

Email

 

   joseph.hajdu@csun.edu

Phone Number

 

   (818) 677-3377

Office

 

  
CS 3108

 

 

INORGANIC CHEMISTRY:

 

 

Research lab:
 

Dr. Eric Kelson (inorganic / analytical)

 

Type of position:

 

   graduate research assistant(s)

Number of positions available:

 

  
2

Paid position?

 

   No – but available for course credit

Length of commitment?

 

   More than one year

Average research hours per week?

 

  
20-30
Brief description of research project:
 

Design and preparation of enantioselective transition metal catalysts with chiral bipyridine and terpyridine ligands for support for pharmaceutically important reactions. The core goal of this work is to develop readily customized ligands for deliberate selectivity in catalysts.


Participating students will get experience with synthesis of organic and inorganic compounds as well as numerous analytical techniques for monitoring reactions and characterizing products including NMR and mass spectroscopy. This project will also provide experience with several pharmaceutically relevant catalytic reactions.

 

Email

 

   eric.kelson@csun.edu

Phone Number

 

   (818) 677-2699

Office

 

  
CS 3315

molecule 

 

Research lab:
 

Dr. Eric Kelson (inorganic / analytical)

 

Type of position:

 

   graduate research assistant(s)

Number of positions available:

 

  
1

Paid position?

 

   No – but available for course credit

Length of commitment?

 

   More than one year

Average research hours per week?

 

  
20-30
Brief description of research project:
 

Preparation of tethered bis(bipyridine) and bis(terpyridine) ligands designed to orient bound pairs of metal atoms for specific dimer cores. These structures could encourage electronic cooperation commonly observed in bimetallic enzymes and suspected in important catalytic reactions.


Participating students will get experience with synthesis of organic and inorganic compounds as well as numerous analytical techniques for monitoring reactions and characterizing products including NMR and mass spectroscopy. This project will also provide experience with EPR and UV-vis spectroscopy as well as electrochemistry to characterize synergistic electronics within the dimers.

 

Email

 

   eric.kelson@csun.edu

Phone Number

 

   (818) 677-2699

Office

 

  
CS 3315

molecule 

 

Research lab:
 

Dr. Eric Kelson (inorganic / analytical)

 

Type of position:

 

   undergraduate research assistant(s)

Number of positions available:

 

  
3

Paid position?

 

   No – but available for course credit

Length of commitment?

 

   At least one semester

Average research hours per week?

 

  
12-15
Brief description of research project:
 

Exploration and optimization of convenient methodologies for coupling substituted pyridines and other azoarenes into new transition metal ligands and potential anti tumor agents. The goal of this work is to carry out challenging reaction sequences within single flasks for easy synthesis of complicated products.


Participating students will get experience with synthesis of organic and inorganic compounds as well as numerous analytical techniques for monitoring reactions and characterizing products including NMR and mass spectroscopy.

 

Email

 

   eric.kelson@csun.edu

Phone Number

 

   (818) 677-2699

Office

 

  
CS 3315

molecule 

 

 

 

ORGANIC CHEMISTRY:

 

 

Research lab:
 

Dr. Gagik Melikyan (organic / organometallic)

 

Type of position:

 

   undergraduate or graduate research assistant(s)

Number of positions available:

 

  
3

Paid position?

 

   No – but available for course credit

Length of commitment?

 

   3 semesters (for the undergraduates)

Average research hours per week?

 

  
TBD
Brief description of research project:
 

Radical and ionic reactions of transition metal-complexed unsaturated systems; new synthetic methodologies in organic and organometallic chemistry; novel therapeutic agents for a breast cancer treatment.

 

Email

 

   gagik.melikyan@csun.edu

Phone Number

 

   (818) 677-2565

Office

 

  
EH 2329

 

 

Research lab:
 

Dr. Katsu Ogawa (organic / materials)

 

Type of position:

 

   undergraduate or graduate research assistant(s)

Number of positions available:

 

  
3-4

Paid position?

 

   No – but available for course credit

Length of commitment?

 

   At least one year for the undergraduates (two semesters plus the summer)

Average research hours per week?

 

  

20 (UG)

40 (Grad)
Brief description of research project:
 

Synthesis of conjugated polymeric materials for solar cell applications. Students gain experiences in organic/inorganic synthesis and analytical instrumentations (absorption/emission spectroscopy and electrochemistry).

 

Email

 

   katsu.ogawa@csun.edu

Phone Number

 

   (818) 677-4239

Office

 

  
EH 2305

 

 

Research lab:
 

Dr. Taeboem Oh (organic synthesis)

 

Type of position:

 

   undergraduate or graduate research assistant(s)

Number of positions available:

 

  
4 (starting ~May 2012)

Paid position?

 

   No – but available for course credit

Length of commitment?

 

   One year average

Average research hours per week?

 

   TBD
Brief description of research project:
 

Synthetic methods, asymmetric synthetic methods, total syntheses: ionic liquids, atrope isomerism, computational chemistry, catalysis, molecular dynamics using NMR.

 

Email

 

   taeboem.oh@csun.edu

Phone Number

 

    

Office

 

  
EH 2102

 

 

PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY:

 

nothing currently posted