Chemistry Department
Joanne Kehlbeck

Joanne D. Kehlbeck

Job Title
Department Chair & Professor of Chemistry
Co-Director of Biochemistry
ISEC 285

Research interests

Physical organic chemistry informs interdisciplinary areas that link together chemical synthesis, biological and material sciences with theoretical and physical chemistry. Research in the Kehlbeck Lab falls into three major categories: Chemical Biology, Chemical Ecology, and Material Science. All projects involve organic synthesis, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS/MS) or gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). I am interested in molecular recognition events that control biological events and how we as chemists can design and synthesize small, non-natural, molecules that mimic the functional properties of materials found in nature. Researchers in my lab can gain experience in molecular modeling, solution and solid phase organic synthesis and purification using chromatographic methods as well as a variety of analytical techniques including NMR and chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Teaching interests

  • CHM 080 Culinary Chemistry
  • CHM 231 Organic Chemistry I
  • CHM 231 Organic Chemistry I Lab
  • CHM 232 Organic Chemistry II
  • CHM 232 Organic Chemistry II Lab
  • CHM 330 Medicinal Chemistry

Publications

  • Mondschein, Jared S.; Kowalski, Adam; Kehlbeck, Joanne D.; Hagerman, Michael E.; Cortez, Rebecca. “Comparative AFM Studies of Water Processable Polyaniline Films: Influence of Reaction Time on Nanomorphology and Conductivity” Mat. Lett., 2014, 131, pp 262-265.
  • Piotrowski, P. K., Roberts, L. K., Kehlbeck, J. D., Yukilevich, R. Identification, characterization and synthesis of Drosophila Athabasca cuticular hydrocarbons. Abstracts of Papers, 247th ACS National Meeting, Dallas, March, 2014. CHED 1101
  • Kehlbeck, Joanne; Slack, Clancy; Turnbull, Marilyn; Kohler, Susan. “Exploring the Hydrolysis of Sucrose by Invertase Using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy: A Flexible Package of Kinetic Experiments” J. Chem. Educ., 2014, 91 (5), pp 734–738.
  • Kehlbeck, J. D., and Kreig, D. General education laboratory for a culinary chemistry course.Abstracts of Papers, 243rd ACS National Meeting, San Diego, March, 2012. SCI-MIX, CHED
  • Slack, C.C., Kehlbeck, J.D., Hagerman, M.E.; Bifunctional Ligand Exchange on the Surface of Cadmium Selenide Quantum Dots, American Chemical Society National Conference, Anaheim, CA March 2011 (INOR 18711)
  • Smith, Z.C., Eastman, R., Kehlbeck, J.D., LoGiudice, Kathleen. “Bioassay guided fractionation of anthelminthic compounds from Paulownia tomentosa” ACS National Meeting, San Francisco, 2010, CHED 868.
  • Kehlbeck, Joanne D.; Hagerman, Michael E.; Cohen, Brian D.; Eliseo, Jennifer; Fox, Melissa; Hoek, William; Karlin, David; Leibner, Evan; Nagle, Emily; Nolan, Michael; Schaefer, Ian; Toney, Alexandra; Topka, Michael; Uluski, Richard and Wood, Charles. “Directed Self-Assembly in Laponite/CdSe/Polyaniline Nanocomposites” Langmuir, 2008, 24(17) 9727-973
  • Kehlbeck, Joanne D.; Dimise, Eric J.; Sparks, Sarah M.; Ferrara, Skylar; Tanski, Joseph; Anderson, Craig “A practical and efficient synthesis of 5’-substituted m-terphenyls” Synthesis, 2007, 1979-1983
  • Hagerman, Michael E. and Kehlbeck, Joanne D. “Laponite/PANI/QD nanophotovoltaic films” ACS National Meeting, Boston, MA 2007 INOR 61
  • Sparks, Sarah M.; Kehlbeck, Joanne D. Anderson, Craig “Synthesis and characterization of novel meta-terphenyl compounds” ACS National Meeting, Atlanta, GA 2006 CHED 928026
  • Peterson, Elizabeth K.; Yukilevich, Roman; Kehlbeck, Joanne D.; LaRue, Kelly; Ferraiolo, Kyle; Hollocher, Kurt; Hirsch, Helmut V.B.; Possidente, Bernard; Lnenicka, Gregory A. “Positive assortative mating induced by developmental lead (Pb2+) exposure in a model system, Drosophila melanogaster” Current Zoology, 2017, 63(2): 195-203
  • Yukilevich, Roman; †Harvey, Taylor; †Nguyen, Son; Kehlbeck, Joanne D.; †Park, Agnes. “The search for causal traits of speciation: divergent female mate preferences target male courtship song, not pheromones, in Drosophila athabasca species complex” Evolution, 2016, 70(3), pp. 526-542.
  • Mondschein, Jared S.; Kowalski, Adam; Kehlbeck, Joanne D.; Hagerman, Michael E.; Cortez, Rebecca. “Comparative AFM Studies of Water Processable Polyaniline Films: Influence of Reaction Time on Nanomorphology and Conductivity” Mat. Lett., 2014, 131, pp 262-265.
  • Kehlbeck, Joanne; Slack, Clancy; Turnbull, Marilyn; Kohler, Susan. “Exploring the Hydrolysis of Sucrose by Invertase Using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy: A Flexible Package of Kinetic Experiments” J. Chem. Educ., 2014, 91 (5), pp 734–738.
  • Kehlbeck, Joanne D.; Hagerman, Michael E.; Cohen, Brian D.; Eliseo, Jennifer; Fox, Melissa; Hoek, William; Karlin, David; Leibner, Evan; Nagle, Emily; Nolan, Michael; Schaefer, Ian; Toney, Alexandra; Topka, Michael; Uluski, Richard and Wood, Charles. “Directed Self-Assembly in Laponite/CdSe/Polyaniline Nanocomposites” Langmuir, 2008, 24(17) 9727-973
  • Kehlbeck, Joanne D.; Dimise, Eric J.; Sparks, Sarah M.; Ferrara, Skylar; Tanski, Joseph; Anderson, Craig “A practical and efficient synthesis of 5’-substituted m-terphenyls” Synthesis, 2007, 1979-1983


Additional media

Distinctions

Awards and Honors

  • Stillman Prize for outstanding teaching, Union College, 2017

Recent Funding:

  • NSF-STEM “Supporting Scholars in Science and Engineering” PI-Joanne D. Kehlbeck, Co-PIs Samuel Amanuel, Rebecca Cortez, Palmyra Catravas and Scott Kirkton (DUE-1356398, $614,749.00) Awarded, March 2014
  • Dreyfus Foundation’s Special Grant Program in the Chemical Sciences “Culinary Chemistry: developing laboratory modules for general science education and outreach” Joanne D. Kehlbeck ($34,850) Awarded January 2010
  • NSF-MRI PI-Joanne D. Kehlbeck submitted with Co-PIs Laura MacManus-Spencer, Laurie Tyler, and Susan J. Kohler. “MRI-R^2: Acquisition of a 400 MHz NMR Spectrometer for Union College” (MRI-0958805, $309,950) Awarded April 2010.
  • NSF-STEM submitted with PI-Bradford Bruno, CoPI-Joanne D. Kehlbeck, J. Douglass Klein, and Cherrice Traver. “Supporting Scholars in Science and Engineering” (DUE-0850242, $600,000) Awarded August 2009
  • NSF-MRI submitted with PI- Laura MacManus Spencer, Co-PIs- Joanne D. Kehlbeck, J. Stephen Horton and Steve Rice. “Acquisition of a Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry Instrument for Research and Teaching in Chemistry, Physics, Biology, and Environmental Science at Union College” (MRI-0922883, $259,992) Awarded August 2009.
  • Merck-AAAS submitted with Co-PIs Prof. Barbara Danowski and Joanne D. Kehlbeck “Enhancing Undergraduate Education at Union College” ($60,000) Awarded January 2008
  • Research Corporation Cottrell College Scholar “Functional foldamers: design, synthesis and evaluation of biomimetic heteropolymers for the recognition of the EVH1 protein domain” ($37,548) Awarded Spring 2003.
  • NSF Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Acquisition of a Powder X-Ray Diffractometer (PXRD) for Interdisciplinary Research and Research Training submitted with PI Michael Hagerman, Co-PIs Heather Watson, Samuel Amanuel, Joanne D. Kehlbeck and Ann Anderson, (DMR-1828144, $327,398) Awarded 2018-2021
  • NSF Scholarships in STEM Track 2 “SUCCESS-LEADERS: Leading Educational and Academic Directions to Enhance Retention in STEM” PI-Joanne D. Kehlbeck, Co-PI David Cotter. (DUE-1742407, $996,275), Awarded 2018-2023
  • Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation “2018 Beckman Scholars Program” Beckman Faculty Mentors: C. Anderson-Hanley, M.K. Carroll, L. Fleishman, K. Fox, M. Hagerman, A. Huisman, J. D. Kehlbeck, S. Kirkton, L. MacManus-Spencer, R. Yukilevich, ($104,000), Awarded 2018-2021
  • NSF-STEM “Supporting Scholars in Science and Engineering” PI-Joanne D. Kehlbeck, Co-PIs Samuel Amanuel, Rebecca Cortez, Palmyra Catravas and Scott Kirkton (DUE-1356398, $614,749.00) Awarded, March 2014
  • Dreyfus Foundation’s Special Grant Program in the Chemical Sciences “Culinary Chemistry: developing laboratory modules for general science education and outreach” Joanne D. Kehlbeck ($34,850) Awarded January 2010
  • NSF-MRI PI-Joanne D. Kehlbeck submitted with Co-PIs Laura MacManus-Spencer, Laurie Tyler, and Susan J. Kohler. “MRI-R^2: Acquisition of a 400 MHz NMR Spectrometer for Union College” (MRI-0958805, $309,950) Awarded April 2010.
  • NSF-STEM submitted with PI-Bradford Bruno, CoPI-Joanne D. Kehlbeck, J. Douglass Klein, and Cherrice Traver. “Supporting Scholars in Science and Engineering” (DUE-0850242, $600,000) Awarded August 2009
  • NSF-MRI submitted with PI- Laura MacManus Spencer, Co-PIs- Joanne D. Kehlbeck, J. Stephen Horton and Steve Rice. “Acquisition of a Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry Instrument for Research and Teaching in Chemistry, Physics, Biology, and Environmental Science at Union College” (MRI-0922883, $259,992) Awarded August 2009.
  • Merck-AAAS submitted with Co-PIs Prof. Barbara Danowski and Joanne D. Kehlbeck “Enhancing Undergraduate Education at Union College” ($60,000) Awarded January 2008
  • Research Corporation Cottrell College Scholar “Functional foldamers: design, synthesis and evaluation of biomimetic heteropolymers for the recognition of the EVH1 protein domain” ($37,548) Awarded Spring 2003.

Academic credentials

B.S., Duquesne University; Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University; Postdoctoral Associate, Yale University