Evanseck Receives Presidential Award for Excellence in Research

“Dr. Evanseck's 20-year journey in Duquesne’s department of chemistry and biochemistry has been remarkable,” said Dr. Ellen Gawalt, dean of the School of Science and Engineering. “His collaborative spirit has pioneered theoretical and computational research that has unraveled mysteries of natural phenomena and predicted outcomes shaping experimental design and we congratulate him on his well-earned Presidential Award.”

As the Lambert F. Minucci Endowed Chair in Engineering and Computational Sciences and John V. Crable Chair of Undergraduate Research, Dr. Evanseck and his team, which includes Duquesne graduate and undergraduate students, as well as partnerships with the Mihailescu and Lackey laboratories at Westminster College, have made a profound impact on the understanding of RNA structure and dynamics that has resulted in practical applications for neurological diseases.

His research, in partnership with the Montgomery and Rhode laboratories at Franciscan University, also includes the quantum mechanical exploration of stereoelectronic and mechanistic aspects within asymmetric organic reactions. This research is instrumental in shaping synthetic pathways within N-oxide chemistry and designing catalysts for dual hydrogen bond donor platforms, ultimately fostering more eco-friendly processes.

During Dr. Evanseck's tenure at Duquesne University, he has achieved success in securing more than $16.4 million in grants from renowned organizations, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), industry leader Gaussian, the State of Pennsylvania and more.

Moreover, Dr. Evanseck's research has been published in 43 scientific journals and 18,351 Google Scholar citations, resulting in an h-index of 29 and an i10-index of 40, indicating a substantial influence in academia.