Education
- B.S., Grove City College
- Ph.D., University of Virginia
Areas of Research
My primary research interest is centered on aromatic molecules. If you don’t know what those are, that’s okay! Think of them as a class of molecules known for two properties: first, they are planar molecules, or “flat.” This is a problem in drug design as flat compounds tend to make poor drugs. Secondly, they are remarkably stable. While this is great for the molecule, it is bad for the chemist as stable molecules are challenging to coax to react. If these molecules were less stable (aka more reactive), they could be ideal scaffolds for assembling molecules with rich druglike properties. Accessing this type of chemistry requires a strategy to dearomatize, or “turn off” the aromatic state that makes these molecules so stable. A variety of strategies exist to perform this. One such method involves coordinating aromatic molecules to an electron-rich transition metal complex. When coordinated to a dearomatizing metal complex, aromatic molecules “lose” their aromaticity and can undergo a wide variety of highly selective chemical reactions. We can harness this strategy to generate libraries of novel molecules rich in druglike properties while exploring the unique chemical reactions used to assemble them.
Courses Taught
Broadly, I’m drawn to synthetic chemistry, which explores new methods for generating molecules. It’s like playing with Legos but with the building blocks of life (atoms)! The nearly limitless capacity for exploration combined with the notion that chemical knowledge has already transformed our society on numerous occasions creates on optimism that any given day of research in this field may produce a paradigm-shifting discovery. I look forward to sharing my passion for this by teaching organic chemistry this semester and the advanced synthesis laboratory next spring.
What is the most important piece of advice you give your students to help them succeed?
Understanding that the amount of time spent studying does not necessarily directly correlate to quality study. Quality study in chemistry is having organized notes that you know back and forth and blitzing practice problems under simulated test conditions. My courses will emphasize these by providing lectures and notes that are organized as clearly as they can as well as guidance for practice problems. If you combine this with pursuing wholistic health and you surround yourself with a community that loves you unconditionally, you’ve got a great foundation for success.
Selected publications
- Dabbs, J. D.; Taylor, C. C.; Holdren, M. S.; Brewster, S. E.; Quillin, B. T.; Meng, A. Q.; Dickie, D. A.; Pate, B. H.; Harman, W. D. W. Designing chemical systems for precision deuteration of medicinal building blocks. Nat Comm 2024, 15 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52127-6
- Dabbs, J. D.; Ericson, M. N.; Dickie, D. A.; Harman, W. D. Synthesis of 1-Azatriene Complexes of Tungsten: Metal-Promoted Ring-Opening of Dihydropyridine. Organometallics 2024, 43 (9), 1051-1056. DOI: 10.1021/acs.organomet.4c00108
- Dabbs, J. D.; Ericson, M. N.; Wilde, J. H.; Lombardo, R. F.; Ashcraft, E. C.; Dickie, D. A.; Harman, W. D. The Tungsten-Promoted Synthesis of Piperidyl-Modified erythro-Methylphenidate Derivatives. ACS Cent Sci 2023. DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.3c00556.
Personal Experience
Being back at GCC is such a tremendous blessing! I’m so grateful to return and join in the rich teaching tradition here to train up the next generation of scientists and health care professionals while pointing them to Christ.