Department of Chemistry

Strongin Lab Members

A professional portrait of Dr. Rob Strongin, an elder white gentleman with short white hair and wearing a suit jacket.

Dr. Robert Strongin

Professor of Organic Chemistry
Ph.D.| University of Pennsylvania, 1995

503-725-9724
strongin@pdx.edu

Personally Maintained Website

Curriculum Vitae (PDF)

 

Professor Robert M. Strongin directs an internationally recognized academic research program, is a successful biotech startup founder and he is highly regarded for his work in STEM education. He received his B.A (honors) in Chemistry from Temple University, and worked as an industrial chemist at FMC Corporation in Princeton, NJ and as a medicinal chemist at SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals (now GlaxoSmithKline) in King of Prussia, PA. He received his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania in the laboratory of Professor Amos B. Smith, III, where he co-authored 33 peer-reviewed research papers. Upon graduation, he directly joined the tenure-track faculty at Louisiana State University where he rose through the ranks to Philip and Foymae Kelso West Professor of Chemistry. While at LSU, Professor Strongin received an Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation Young Investigator Award for enabling new avenues of research in chemistry and biology. He joined the faculty at Portland State University in 2007, and additionally received affiliate appointments in both Physiology and Pharmacology and the Center for Spatial Systems Biomedicine at the Oregon Health and Sciences University, where he has several ongoing research collaborations. In 2009, he served as a Sigma Xi National Lecturer. He has earned several awards and honors since joining the faculty at PSU, including the John Eliot Allen Teaching Award, Outstanding Researcher Award in the Physical Science from the Sigma Xi Columbia-Willamette Chapter and the PSU Presidential Career Research Award. 

Group Members

Stock image of an orangey-yellow sparkly solution in a clear glass flask, top of flask is cut off from photo.

Killian Anreise

PhD Candidate

Biography blurb incoming.

Professional photo of Tafadzwa Chitepo

Tafadzwa Chitepo

PhD Candidate

I am a fourth-year graduate student in Dr. Strongin’s lab. My research is on synthesizing xanthene-based intraoperative contrast agents for PDAC margin assessment.

A headshot of Abigail Donkor, a black woman with long black hair in braids. She has blonde highlights. She is wearing a light grey-blue long sleeve shirt and smiling with teeth. She is facing the camera with her body posed towards the right, standing in front of a brick wall background with a small green bush to her left.

Abigail Donkor

PhD Candidate

Abigail Donkor is a second year PhD student. Before joining the Woods group,she was involved in: Investigating secondary metabolites in underutilized seeds and fruits to address malnutrition in Africa and promote good health in line with the SDG’s. She holds a BSc Honors Degree in Chemistry from KNUST, in Ghana. Currently she is investigating how cellular water exchange can be used as an MRI diagnostic tool/Cancer biomarker by exploring the Relaxation domain of NMR. In her spare time, Abigail loves to volunteer, sing and host events.

Michael Fernando, a light-skinned man smiling at the camera.

Michael Fernando

PhD Candidate

Michael was a biochemistry major and an honor student at Portland State University. He was an NSF-funded S-STEM scholar and a U.S. Department of Education Ronald E McNair scholar. His primary research focus is elucidating and quantifying degradant toxicants formed from vaping cannabis and tobacco derived products.

Professional photo of Mohana Sengupta

Mohana Sengupta

PhD Candidate

Paragraph coming soon.

Lab Alumni

Dr. Kaelas Munger

Ph.D. Chemistry | Portland State University, 2025

Dr. Megha Gupta

Ph.D. Chemistry | Portland State University, 2025

Dr. Oluyemi Alo

Ph.D. Chemistry | Portland State University, 2022

Dr. Tendai Mafireyi

Ph.D. Chemistry | Portland State University, 2021

Dr. Leroy Sibanda

Ph.D. Chemistry | Portland State University, 2021

Dr. Jiries Meehan-Atrash

Ph.D. Chemistry | Portland State University, 2021

Dr. Ian Munhenzva

Ph.D. Chemistry | Portland State University, 2020

Dr. Shawna Vreeke

Ph.D. Chemistry | Portland State University, 2019