Robert Strongin

Robert Strongin is a Professor of organic chemistry in the Department of Chemistry at Portland State University. His major interests and expertise are in physical organic and synthetic organic chemistry. He specializes in the design and evaluation of new redox and chromophore materials as selective probes and chemosensors to address bioorganic and biomedical problems. After receiving his undergraduate degree in chemistry at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Dr. Strongin worked for two years at the FMC corporation as a Process Research Chemist on scalable syntheses of herbicides and pesticides. He then worked in the Medicinal Chemistry Department of the SmithKline Beecham Corporation in Philadelphia, PA, on the synthesis of anti-inflammatory prodrugs, immediately prior to entering graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Strongin earned his doctorate in organic chemistry under the guidance of Professor Amos B. Smith, III. Dr. Strongin’s graduate research led to his coauthorship of over thirty peer-reviewed publications. After earning his doctorate, he began his first faculty appointment at Louisiana State University where he rose through the ranks from an Assistant Professor to Philip and Foymae Kelso West Distinguished Professor in Chemistry, 1995–2006. He was named an Arnold and Mabel Beckman Young Investigator in 1998 and has won several other research and teaching awards. He established the LSU Initiative for Maximizing Student Diversity (IMSD) Program for training underrepresented groups in biomedical research. He moved to the Department of Chemistry at Portland State University in 2007. Dr. Strongin regularly serves on several federal proposal review panels, on a university research center Scientific Advisory Board, and as an industrial consultant. His studies of chemosensors and new fluorophores have been highlighted in the trade press on numerous occasions and have resulted in the filing of seven patents.

Biography Updated on 16 June 2007