Joanna San Pedro

Research Interests

I am currently teaching Organic Chemistry courses (Chem 227: Organic Chemistry I; Chem 234: Organic Synthesis and Analysis) and have previously taught Chem 107: General Chemistry for Engineering Students. I am also the Lab Coordinator for the General Chemistry I and II laboratory courses (Chem 119 and Chem 120) for Chemistry majors and honors students.

In all my Chemistry courses, I hope to instill in my students an appreciation for the central role it plays in everyday life, and to cultivate a curiosity that allows them to question phenomena they observe but do not understand. I help my students develop their abilities in critical thinking and problem solving through broader everyday applications of the learned theory, stimulate their interest in science, at the same time making learning an enjoyable process.

My research interests lie at the interface of biology and chemistry, specifically in developing practical biological tools and methods to gain a much deeper understanding of how specific cellular processes work. I have worked in collaboration with the Sczepanski Group in designing and developing genetically encoded tags for imaging nucleic acids by electron microscopy.

Areas of Interest

• Biological Organic Chemistry
• Chemical Education
• Mentoring