Current Position

I am currently working at Albion College as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry.  My primary teaching duties include Organic Chemistry I and II with approximately 40 students per section and the Organic Chemistry laboratory I and II with approximately 20 students per section.  I have also taught Advanced Organic Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry I (24 students), Inorganic Chemistry II lab (24 students) and Great Issues in Science – A Chemist in the Kitchen, The Science of Food and Cooking.

Research Interests

My research interests lie in the area of molecular magnetism.  I am interested in exploring magnetic phenomena in organic materials.  This research includes the synthesis of novel organic paramagnetic ligands and their coordination chemistry to transition metals.  The complexes will studied by a variety of physical methods, including NMR, EPR, SQUID, CV and UV/Vis spectrometry.

Education

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
·         2001 – Ph.D.
·         Physical Organic Chemistry with Professor M. D. E. Forbes
·         Dissertation Title:  I.  Structure and Conformational Motion of Acrylic Polymeric Radicals  II. CIDEP-Detected Energy Transfer

McNeese State University, Lake Charles, Louisiana
·         1996 – B.S.
·         Chemistry
·         summa cum laude

Professional History

Assistant Professor in Chemistry
·         Albion College, Albion MI
·         August 2005 to present

Visiting Assistant Professor in Chemistry
·         Albion College, Albion MI
·         August 2003 to May 2005

Postdoctoral Research Assistant
·         Michigan State University, East Lansing MI
·         Advisors – Professor James E. Jackson and Professor Emeritus James Dye
·         October 2001 to July 2003

Research Assistant
·         University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill NC
·         Advisor – Professor Malcolm D. E. Forbes
·         May 1997 – September 2001

Teaching Assistant
·         University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill NC
·         August 1996 – May 1997

Awards and Honors

·         Arthur Anderson New Teacher of the Year Award - Albion College, 2006

·         University Fellowship - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1996 - 1997

·         Presidential Scholarship - McNeese State University, 1992 - 1996

·         Phi Kappa Phi - National Honor Society, 1995

·         Epsilon Alpha Epsilon - Women’s Honor Fraternity, 1994

Peer Reviewed Publications

1.       “Building Blocks for Molecule-based Magnets II: Radical Anions and Dianions of Substituted 1,4-Dimethylenecyclohexane-2,3,5,6-tetrones as Paramagnetic Bridging Ligands” Andrzej W. Misiolek, Andrew S. Ichimura, Robert A. Gentner, Vanessa P. McCaffrey, Rui H. Huang, Don Ward, and James E. Jackson, manuscript accepted pending revision to J. Amer. Chem. Soc.

2.       “Chemically Induced Dynamic Electron Spin Polarization-Detected Energy Transfer. Substrate Size Effects and Solvent Dependence”  Vanessa P. McCaffrey and Malcolm D. E. Forbes, J. Phys. Chem. B, 2005, 109, 4891-4898.

3.       “Time-Resolved EPR Studies of Main Chain Radicals from Acrylic Polymers. Effects of Tacticity , Solvent and Chain Stiffness”  Vanessa P. McCaffrey, Elizabeth J. Harbron, and Malcolm D. E. Forbes, J. Phys. Chem. B, 2005, 109, 10686-10694.

4.       “Time-Resolved EPR Studies of Main Chain Radicals from Acrylic Polymers.  Dynamic Effects Due to Conformational Motion.”  Vanessa P. McCaffrey, Elizabeth J. Harbron and Malcolm D. E. Forbes, Macromolecules, 2005, 38, 3342-3350.

5.       “Time-Resolved EPR Studies of Main Chain Radicals from Acrylic Polymers.  Structural Characterization at High Temperatures”  Vanessa P. McCaffrey and Malcolm D. E. Forbes, Macromolecules, 2005, 38, 3334-3341.

6.       “Spin and Molecular Dynamics in Acyl-Containing Biradicals:  Time Resolved Electron Paramagnetic Resonance and Laser Flash Photolysis Study”  Yuri P. Tsentalovich, Malcolm D. E. Forbes, Olga B. Morozova, I. A. Plotnikov, Vanessa P. McCaffrey, A. V Yurkovskaya, J. Phys. Chem. A, 2002, 106, 7121-7129.

7.       “Energy Transfer Studied Using Spin Polarized Free Radicals.  Effect of Substrate Structure and a Comparison Between Micellar Confinement and Free Solution”  Vanessa P. McCaffrey, Malcolm D. E. Forbes, Tetrahedron, 2000, 56, 6991-6997.

8.       “Stereochemistry and Pseudo–Symmetries in Main Chain Polymeric Free Radicals.” Elizabeth J. Harbron, Vanessa P.  McCaffrey, Ruixin Xu, Malcolm D. E. Forbes, J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 2000, 122, 9182-9188.

Invited Publications

1.       “Structure and Dynamics of Macromolecular Free Radicals”  Malcolm D. E. Forbes, Vanessa P. McCaffrey, Elizabeth J. Harbon, The Spectrum, Summer 2005, 18, 12-17.

Invited Seminars

Michigan State University, June 2002
·          “Structure and Conformational Motion of Acrylic Polymeric Radicals Studied by Time-Resolved EPR”

Presentations and Conferences

Second North America-Greece-Cyprus Workshop on Paramagnetic Materials, June 2007
·         Syros, Greece
·         Presentataion: "Synthesis and Characterization of Di-ortho-iminoquinone Ligands for use in Paramagnetic Materials"

51st Midwestern Association of Chemistry Teachers in Liberal Arts Colleges Meeting, October 2003
·         Chaired panel discussion on Freshman Chemistry

VIIIth International Conference on Molecule-based Magnets, September 2002
·         Valencia, Spain
·         Poster: “Rhodizonic Acid Derivatives as Molecular Magnets:  Synthetic, Spectroscopic and Theoretical Studies”

The VIIth International Symposium on Magnetic Field and Spin Effects in Chemistry and Related Phenomena, July 2001
·         Tokyo, Japan
·         Poster: “Side Chain Dependence of the Photodegradation of Acrylic Polymers as Studied by Time Resolved Electron Paramagnetic Resonance”  

National Meetings of the American Chemical Society
·         March 2007 – Chicago IL, Two posters presented with student researchers in Undergraduate Research Section
·         August, 2002 - Boston MA, Poster in Organic Section, Sci-Mix
·         March 2000 - San Francisco CA, Poster in Organic Section, Sci-Mix
·         March 2000 - San Francisco CA, Poster in Polymer Section
·         August 1997 - Boston MA, Poster in Organic Section

XIX International Conference on Photochemistry, August 1999
·         Durham NC
·         Poster: “Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Studies of Modified Diazo Compounds”

Grants and Funding

Fulbright Scholars Program
·         Support requested for four month stay in the labs of Dante Gatteschi at the University of Florence
·         Submitted August 2006, Recommended for funding in October 2006
·         Spent Feb 2008 - June 2008 in Florence, Italy

Pittsburgh Conference Memorial National College Grant Program
·         Funds requested to purchase 10 MicroLab FS-522 data acquisition instruments for use in the general chemistry curriculum
·         $10,000, Submitted December 2006, not funded

Hamilton Company – Chemistry Education Grant Program
·         Funds requested for purchase of syringes and needles for research and education purposes
·         $2000, June 2006, not funded

Albion College Faculty Development Committee
·         “Synthesis of Imine-semiquinato Ligands for Molecular Magnetic Materials”
·         $3700, Awarded March 2006
·         Application for the Blanchard Fellowship was submitted, but not funded

Albion College Faculty Development Committee
·         “Synthesis and Characterization of Ligands for Molecular Magnetic Materials”
·         $4750, Awarded April 2005

University Service

·         Orientation Committee: Fall 2006

·         Student Orientation, Advising and Registration Faculty Advisor: Summer 2006, Summer 2005

·         Student Orientation, Advising and Registration Selection Committee: Spring 2006

·         Faculty Advisor for Phi Mu: Fall 2005-present

·         Prentice M. Brown Honor’s Institute Committee: Fall 2005-present

·         Museum/Atrium Committee: Fall 2004-Spring 2006

Professional Affiliations

·         American Chemical Society

·         Midwestern Association of Chemistry Teachers in Liberal Arts Colleges