Katie Starr joined the Department of Chemistry in 2025. Her scholarship is rooted in the drug discovery process and answering how structure determines function. She is especially interested in the synthesis of novel natural product derivatives with anti-diabetic activity. By combining traditional organic chemistry methodology with medicinal chemistry principles, her lab aims to analyze the structure-activity relationships of lead compounds and optimize their drug-like properties. 

Prior to Kenyon, Starr received her Ph.D. from The Ohio State University where she worked on the synthesis of small molecule V-ATPase inhibitors with anti-ovarian cancer activity. At Ohio State, she also received the university’s Graduate Associate Leadership Award and the Teaching Online and Technology-Enhanced Teaching Endorsements from the Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning. 

Areas of Expertise

Medicinal chemistry, organic chemistry, natural products

Education

2025 — Doctor of Philosophy from The Ohio State University

2022 — Master of Science from The Ohio State University

2020 — Bachelor of Science from Gannon University

Courses Recently Taught

This course is a continuation of CHEM 231. This lecture course offers a study of the chemical and physical properties of organic compounds. Theoretical principles are developed with particular emphasis on molecular structure and reaction mechanisms. The descriptive aspects of organic chemistry include strategies for synthesis and the study of compounds of biochemical interest. This counts toward advanced course electives requirement for the major. Prerequisite: CHEM 231. Offered every fall semester.

This laboratory course introduces fundamental methods in organic chemistry research and complements the topics covered in the lecture course, CHEM 231. This is achieved by carrying out experiments and research projects involving topics such as isolation of a natural product, oxidation and reduction reactions, and reactions of alkenes. The techniques include liquid extraction, distillation, recrystallization and thin-layer and gas chromatography. Compounds are identified and assessed for purity by melting-point determination, refractometry, gas chromatography, and infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Appropriate record-keeping on laboratory notebooks and writing laboratory reports is emphasized. This course is required for the major. Prerequisite: CHEM 126; or CHEM 122 and 123. Corequisite: CHEM 231. Offered every spring semester.

In this laboratory course, students engage in multiweek, multistep projects that integrate both modern organic synthesis and advanced high-field nuclear magnetic resonance techniques. This course meets for one three-hour laboratory period per week. This counts toward advanced lab elective requirement for the major. Prerequisite: CHEM 234. Not offered every year.