Next Section Meeting

Thursday, January 27th 2022

Lander University

Please click HERE to register for the meeting! RSVP by January 20th

Speaker Bio:  Joshua Ruppel earned his PhD in 2008 under the mentorship of Peter Zhang at the University of South Florida. He then took a position at Hamilton College as a Visiting Assistant Professor before joining the faculty at USC Upstate in 2011. Dr. Ruppel is currently a Professor of Chemistry and the Director of Research at USC Upstate. He also serves as the institutional PI and program director for the ER(Up)T summer research program at USC Upstate, which is funded through the NIH IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) that supports SC INBRE. As a faculty member at USC Upstate, Professor Ruppel teaches organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, organic spectroscopy, and undergraduate research courses. His current research focuses on the synthesis and characterization of a library of a new class of organic compounds which may have applications within the realms of cancer therapy or antibiotics. His research has been published in well-respected peer-reviewed journals such as Journal of the American Chemical Society, Journal of Organic Chemistry, Organic Letters, European Journal of Organic Chemistry, Journal of Porphyrins and Phthalocyanines, RSC advances, and Tetrahedron Letters. From his own background as a first-generation student in STEM, Dr. Ruppel has seen firsthand the impact that hands-on learning opportunities can yield, and has devoted his career to inspiring and building the next generation of scientists. Dr. Ruppel regularly engages undergraduate students in his research, providing valuable hands-on laboratory experiences for those students seeking placement in graduate and/or professional school, or those seeking employment in STEM careers after graduation. His research efforts and work with students inside and outside the classroom have been recognized by a number of awards including: University of South Carolina Breakthrough Star award and the USC Upstate Excellence in Teaching and Advising award (2019), along with the Excellence in Research and Scholarly Pursuits award (2018). In his current role as the Director or Research at USC Upstate, Dr. Ruppel oversees the faculty and student programs that promote engagement in research and other scholarly endeavors. In addition, he is the editor of Upstate’s Student Research Journal and is the co-Chair of the SC Research Symposium.

Interested in joining the Executive Committee ?

Contact our current Chair Jennifer Hawk or our Secretary Zach Davis.