Christian S. Hamann, Ph.D.

Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry
chamann@albright.edu
Science Building 331
610-921-7740
A.A.: Ocean County College
B.S. in Chemistry: Lebanon Valley College
Ph.D.: University of Pennsylvania
Biography
Christian Hamann earned his B.S. in Chemistry at Lebanon Valley College after completing an A.A. at Ocean County College that included a semester at the Collegium Palatinum in Heidelberg, Germany. He followed his Ph.D. from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania with a postdoctoral fellowship at the Thomas Jefferson University and then a stint in the Cancer Research Department at the Merck Research Laboratories. After a visiting assistant professorship at Franklin & Marshall College, Dr. Hamann joined the faculty at Albright College in 2001.
Areas of Expertise
- Computational and theoretical chemistry
- Physical organic chemistry
- Accessibility for blind and visually impaired students
Areas of Research
Modeling the Biosynthesis of Terpenes and Their Atropisomers
Pedagogy, Undergraduate Research, and Outreach
Courses Taught
- CHE 101: Wine & Cheese – The Natural Science of Daily Life
- CHE 200: Health, Safety and Asset Protection
- CHE 207: Organic Chemistry I
- CHE 208: Organic Chemistry II
- CHE 322: Thermodynamics and Kinetics (biophysical chemistry laboratory)
- CHE 325: Biochemistry I (laboratory)
- CHE 326: Biochemistry II (laboratory)
- CHE 411: Advanced Organic Chemistry
- CHE 412: Advanced Topics in Chemistry
- FYS 100: Liberal Sciences – Natural Sciences and the Liberal Arts
- IDS 100: Uncertainty and the Creation of of Knowledge
Scholarship
Selected Publications (current or former undergraduate students underlined)
- “Expanding the Scope of an Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution Discovery Experiment Including Hydride and Methyl Shifts.” Savakinas, M. V.; Frey, O. M.; Piro, N. A.; Rhile, I. J.; Hamann, C. S. Journal of Chemical Education (2021) 98, 2323-2332.
- “Connecting Organic and Physical Chemistry Students with Raman Spectroscopy.” Hantz, ER; Sonntag, MD; Hamann, CS. In Raman Spectroscopy in the Undergraduate Curriculum; Sonntag, M. D., Ed.; ACS Symposium Series 1305; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2018; pp 35-51. (invited)
- “Utilizing NMR to Study Structure and Equilibrium in the Organic Chemistry Laboratory.” Smith, KT; Young, SC; DeBlasio, JW; Hamann, CS. In NMR Spectroscopy in the Undergraduate Curriculum: First Year and Organic Chemistry Courses Volume 2; Soulsby, D., Anna, L. J., Wallner, A. S., Eds.; ACS Symposium Series 1221; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2016; pp 119-136. (invited)
- “Predicting Hydration Propensities of Biologically Relevant α-Ketoamides.” Wedler, HB; Palazzo, TA; Pemberton, RP; Hamann, CS; Kurth, MJ; Tantillo, DJ. Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry Letters (2015) 25, 4153-4157.
- ““Delocalization of Charge and Electron Density in the Humulyl Cation – Implications for Terpene Biosynthesis.” Hamlin, TA; Hamann, CS; Tantillo, DJ. Journal of Organic Chemistry (2015) 80, 4046-4053.
Selected Presentations (current or former undergraduate students underlined)
- “Popping the Lid off: Rare Bicyclic Sesquiterpene May Emerge from a Tricyclic Intermediate.” Hamann, C. S.; Tantillo, D. J. 264th American Chemical Society National Meeting, Chicago, IL (2022).
- “Expanding the Library of Redox Shuttles for Overcharge Protection of Lithium Ion Batteries.” Walker, S. D.; Piro, N. A.; Hamann, C. S. 263rd American Chemical Society National Meeting, San Diego, CA (2022).
- “Bringing Order from Chaos: A FAIR Database of Sesquiterpenes Organized by Dihedral Angles.” Schrey, J. M; Hamann, C. S. 261st American Chemical Society National Meeting, Virtual (2021); also presented at Sci-Mix.
- Ab Initio Analysis of Doping Effects on the Structure and Electronics of Graphene. Smith, K. P.; Hamann, C. S. 261st American Chemical Society National Meeting, Virtual (2021).
- “Predicting the Solution-Phase and Enzyme-Bound Behavior of Sesquiterpenes Using Computational Methods: Lessons Learned and Applications Developed.” Hamann, C. S. (invited) Telluride Science Research Center: Accelerating Reaction Discovery, Telluride, CO (2019).
- “NanoConnections: Leveraging the Power of Networking to Cultivate Access for Chemists with Disabilities.” Hamann, CS. (invited) 256th American Chemical Society National Meeting, Boston, MA (2018); also presented at Sci-Mix.
- “Backbone-Breaking Alkyl Shifts: Anomaly, Coincidence, or Pattern in Sesquiterpene Biosynthesis?” Guan, N. (presenter); Tantillo, DJ; Hamann, CS. 256th American Chemical Society National Meeting, Boston, MA (2018); also presented at Sci-Mix.
- “Tailoring a Chalcone Synthesis for Use with Deuterated Starting Materials.” Gehman, CA (presenter); Hamann, CS. 253rd American Chemical Society National Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2017).
- “Investigating Sterically Congested Dimethoxybenzenes Using Computational Methods.” Zehr, JD (presenter); Hamann, CS. 251st American Chemical Society National Meeting, San Diego, CA (2016).
- “The Price of Admission: Exploring the Transition from Straight Chain to First Cycle in Sesquiterpene Biosynthesis Using Quantum Chemical Calculations.” Hamann, CS; Lodewyk, MW; Tantillo, DJ. 249th American Chemical Society National Meeting, Denver, CO (2015); also presented at Sci-Mix.
- “Using Borane, Ammonium and Methylene Substitution to Characterize Stabilizing Features of a Macrocyclic Sesquiterpene Cation.” Hamlin, TA; Tantillo, DJ; Hamann, CS. 249th American Chemical Society National Meeting, Denver, CO (2015); also presented at Sci-Mix.
Professional Activities
- Division Chair, Chemical Education (50th Middle Atlantic Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society National Meeting, Ewing, NJ, 2022)
- Councilor, The Council on Undergraduate Research – Chemistry Division (2017-2023; division vice-chair 2020-2023)
- Member, Committee on Chemists with Disabilities of the American Chemical Society (2016-present)
- Chair of the Faculty of Albright College (2008-2011)
- Reviewer for the Journal of Chemical Education, Journal of Organic Chemistry, Tetrahedron, ACS Symposium Series, and several current Organic Chemistry college-level texts
Awards and Grants
- The Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award (2020)
- The Class of ’49 Annadora Vesper Shirk Award for Faculty Scholarship (2016)
- Lehigh Valley Section of the American Chemical Society Volunteer of the Month (June, 2014)
- The Dr. Henry P. and M. Paige Laughlin Annual Distinguished Faculty Award for Teaching (2007)
- “Generating Physically Sound, Interpretable Models That Replace Phenomenological Explanations in Organic Chemistry Using Quantum Chemical Techniques.” Holland Research School of Molecular Chemistry Fellowship (2024)
- “Investigating the Structural Relationship between Intermediates in the Biosynthesis of Patchouli Alcohol” and related projects. NSF XSEDE: Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment (2014-present)
- “Albright College Environmentally-oriented Sciences (ACES) Scholarship Program: Supporting the Study of the Environment through STEM Disciplines.” NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (2014-2019) Mech, SG (PI); Brylawski, BJ; Graves, CR; Hamann, CS; Sonntag, MD.