The department is pleased to announce the promotion of Juan Del Valle to William K. Warren Family Professor for the Warren Family Research Center for Drug Discovery & Development, Daniel Gezelter to Senior Associate Dean for Education and Undergraduate Programs, and Mijoon Lee to Research Professor.
Juan Del Valle joined the faculty at Notre Dame in 2019, coming from the University of South Florida. His research program operates at the interface of organic synthesis and chemical biology, focusing on the design of biologically active peptidomimetics and small molecules. His work covers three main areas, including the use of constrained peptides to manipulate protein-protein interactions, the synthesis of non-ribosomal peptide natural products, and the development of compounds to modulate ER stress responses. Del Valle received his B.A. in chemistry from Carleton College and his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California, San Diego.
J. Daniel Gezelter joined the department in 1999 and began his work in the Dean’s office in 2020. In addition to his research using theoretical and computational studies to model the dynamics of complex, condensed-matter systems, Gezelter has also invested significant effort in the continued improvement of undergraduate education in the College of Science. He played a foundational role in developing the Mary E. Galvin Science & Engineering Scholars program, which is designed to help first-year students in STEM majors achieve their full academic potential. This program has led to significantly improved retention and grades for participating students since its inception in 2018. Gezelter received his B.S. in chemistry & philosophy from Duke University and his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley.
Mijoon Lee joined the department in 2008 and the Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Facility in 2018. Lee specializes in LC/MS and LC/MS/MS methods development for small molecules and peptidoglycan analysis using electrospray ionization. Lee received both her B.S. and Ph.D. in chemistry from Pohang University of Science & Technology.