Faculty
Dr. Ralph Salvatore
Courtesy Faculty
CONTACT
Office: NSCS 209 (Lakeland Campus)
Phone: 863/660-2900
Lab: NHSC 201, 220
Email: rnsalvatore@usf.edu
EDUCATION
- B.S. in Chemistry, Iona College, Chemistry, 1990
- M.S. in Organic Chemistry, SUNY Stony Brook, 1996
- Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, University of South Florida, 2006
BIOGRAPHY
After graduating from the University of South Florida in 2001, Dr, Salvatore joined Western Kentucky University as an Assistant Professor. After a successful four years, in 2005, he accepted a position at University of Massachusetts Boston as an Associate Professor in the areas of Organic & Green chemistry. In 2006, he was recruited to the City University of New York (CUNY), where he was promoted to Full Professor (with tenure) & served as Chair of the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry from 2006-2013. Shortly thereafter, he moved west to Colorado as Dean of Arts & Sciences at PCC in Pueblo, Colorado (2013-2016). Dr. Salvatore also serves on the Citizens’ Advisory Board Committee for the Pueblo Chemical Depot. The Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant is a chemical weapons destruction facility which has been built to destroy the chemical weapons stockpile at the Pueblo Chemical Depot, in southeastern Colorado.
In 2016, Dr. Salvatore relocated back to Florida and joined the faculty at Southeastern University as a Professor of Chemistry. While at SEU, Dr. Salvatore was instrumental in leading the establishment of the Chemistry and Biochemistry major, the Chemistry minor, and a robust departmental seminar series. With the new majors in hand, Dr. Salvatore initiated the new procurement of department capital equipment. Furthermore, he serves on the Institutional Review Board (IRB), the Honors College and established the Chemical Hygiene Plan for the University. He teaches Organic Chemistry I & II, Medicinal, Analytical and Physical Chemistry and Advanced Topics in Chemistry (Chemistry of Cancer, Enzymology, and Pharmacology & Toxicology). He has recently created an Introduction to Science and Technology Literacy course for non-science majors. Dr. Salvatore was awarded the 2020 Faculty award for Excellence in Scholarship. Dr. Salvatore also holds a Courtesy faculty appointment at the University of South Florida, Department of Chemistry, where he has sent numerous students over the years to carry out graduate studies.
RESEARCH
Dr. Salvatore also has a deep passion for working with undergraduate students conducting research in the areas of Synthetic and Mechanistic Organic Chemistry, Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry. His research interests include the synthesis of novel anticancer agents, antivirals, and small biological molecules involved in Parkinson’s disease. Dr. Salvatore continues to serve on numerous editorial boards for high impact chemistry journals and granting agencies. In addition, he regularly attends regional and national meetings in chemistry and chemical education.
His current research interests include the synthesis of novel anticancer agents, antivirals, and small biological molecules involved in Parkinson’s disease. Dr. Salvatore continues to serve on numerous editorial boards for high impact chemistry journals (Current Organic Chemistry and Coronaviruses) and granting agencies. In addition, he regularly attends regional and national meetings in chemistry and chemical education.