VOL. 1 ISSUE 3

Welcome Dr. Rownaghi

Welcome to Cleveland State, Dr. Ali Rownaghi, Chemistry's new Associate Professor of Physical Chemistry!

Dr. Ali A. Rownaghi comes to us from the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T), where he served as a non-tenure track assistant teaching/research professor. Dr. Rownaghi's research focuses on creating, understanding, and rationally engineering advanced materials for catalysis, membrane, and adsorption applications through innovative and scalable processing strategies. He has received major grants from NSF, DOE, and NASA to support his research. Dr. Rownaghi has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles (40 papers published in ACS). He holds a Ph.D. degree in Chemistry (Catalysis) from the University of Putra, Malaysia. He has taught various courses, including Thermodynamics (ChE 2100), Structure and Properties of Polymers (ChE 5310), Catalysis, and Reaction Kinetics (ChE 5001). Dr. Rownaghi has a combined industry-academic research experience in various areas related to chemistry, chemical engineering processes, and operations. Such a combination of industry and research and teaching expertise would benefit both undergraduate and graduate students teaching and research at CSU.

Welcome Dr. Gonzales

Welcome to Cleveland State Dr. Junior Gonzales Chemistry's new Assistant Professor of Organic Chemistry!

Dr. Junior Gonzales comes to us from the Department of Radiology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where he served as a Research Associate. Dr. Gonzales has a strong and steady record in synthesis, and biomedical imaging research, particularly on the development of targeted neural sensors for nuclear and optical imaging, as well as experience in preparing oncological sensors for lung and prostate cancers. His research program will be firmly rooted in substance discovery, synthesis, in vivo validation with a clear trajectory to the preclinical research space. Dr. Gonzales is a recipient of a competitive NHI K99R00 grant which will fund the starting of his research. He holds a Ph.D. in Nanotechnology and Organic Chemistry from Hunter College of the City University of New York. He has taught organic chemistry classes at a minority-serving Community College. Dr. Gonzales's research and teaching experiences would greatly complement the Department of Chemistry at Cleveland State University.

Welcome Dr. Hirbawi

Welcome to Cleveland State Dr. Jamila Hirbawi Chemistry's new Senior Manager, Freshman Chemistry Program

Dr. Jamila Hirbawi is one of our own Cleveland State University 2009 Ph.D. graduates of Clinical-Bioanalytical Chemistry. Dr. Hirbawi's dissertation research is "Cofactor Control of a Vital Enzymatic Reaction: The Effect of Factor Va on Thrombin Formation During Blood Coagulation." Dr. Hirbawi had worked at Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic as a Postdoctoral Fellow and the Department of Chemistry, Cleveland State University as a Research Associate. Dr. Hirbawi has taught College Chemistry, General Chemistry, and labs at CSU for the past several years. Dr. Hirbawi's research and teaching expertise would benefit undergraduate students at CSU.