Faculty Profiles

• Department: Chemistry
• Office Location: Building 58C/204A

Dr. Karen Molek, an award-winning Professor of Chemistry and Department Chair, has helped raise more than $5 million in outside funding since she began teaching at UWF in 2008.

• Department: Chemistry
• Office Location: Building 58C, Room 204G

Dr. Karen W. Barnes received her P.h.D. in Chemistry from the University of Florida.

• Department: Chemistry
• Office Location: Building 58C, Room 204B

Dr. Pamela Benz, Professor, Associate Chair, holds a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Maryland, teaches analytical courses and conducts aquatic photochemistry research. Benz has served on college leadership councils and founded the Office of Undergraduate Research.

• Department: Chemistry
• Office Location: Building 58C, Room 204H

Dr. Brandon A. Fultz is an organic lecturer and current organic lab coordinator in the Dept of Chemistry at UWF.

• Department: Chemistry
• Office Location: Building 58C, Room 204

Dr. Ajay Lajmi's research interest includes developing methods to synthesize molecules with targeted biochemical functional properties with potential applications in biotechnology.

• Department: Chemistry
• Office Location: Building 58A, Room 217

Dr. Amin Mehrehjedy, a lecturer in the Department of Chemistry, received his Ph.D. from the University of Southern Mississippi. His research includes the synthesis and characterization of photocatalytic materials and the fabrication of biosensors for the detection of biomolecules.

• Department: Chemistry
• Office Location: Building 58C, Room 204D

Dr. Alessa Blanka Rolka is a Lecturer in the Department of Chemistry, teaching courses in organic chemistry. She holds a doctorate, master’s, and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Regensburg, Germany.

• Department: Chemistry
• Office Location: Building 58, Room 001
• Personal UWF Website

Dr. A. Timothy Royappa, Professor of Chemistry, conducts research on copper(I) complexes for semiconductor microelectronics, pharmaceutical and nanotechnology applications. He is in UWF’s Distinguished Teaching Hall of Fame.

• Department: Chemistry
• Office Location: Building 58A, Room 215

Dr. Tunde B. Shonde, a Lecturer in the Department of Chemistry, has a PhD in material chemistry from Florida State University (FSU). He is interested in how many materials assemble and tuning their properties for useful electronic and energy applications.

• Department: Chemistry
• Office Location: Building 58, Room 004

Dr. Jake A. Tan is an Assistant Professor in the Chemistry Department. As a computational and theoretical chemist, he is interested in understanding the molecular world at the fundamental level through models and simulations. He holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the National Tsing Hua University.

• Department: Chemistry
• Office Location: Building 58, Room 002

Dr. Jacob Tracy is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry who received his PhD from Stanford University. His research interests involve the design and synthesis of redox-active organic molecules for use in batteries as well as the development of medicinally-relevant synthetic methods.

• Department: Chemistry
• Office Location: Building 58, Room 3

Dr. Katherine Whitaker holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin and teaches courses in general chemistry.