Kateri Ahrendt

Dr. Kateri Ahrendt is a Professor in the Chemistry Department at Regis College, where she has taught since 2009. She earned her Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley (2003), specializing in organocatalytic Diels-Alder reactions and synthesis of bioactive compounds. Her postdoctoral work at the NIH focused on marine natural product synthesis. Prior to academia, she worked as a medicinal chemist at Array BioPharma (now Pfizer), developing small molecule inhibitors, and currently consults in the pharmaceutical industry, including work with CordenPharma on generic drug development.

Her teaching portfolio includes courses such as Organic Chemistry, Advanced Organic Chemistry, and Drugs of Use and Abuse, emphasizing research integration in undergraduate labs. Her research focuses on cost-effective synthesis of high-cost pharmaceuticals to improve accessibility. She actively mentors students through individual research and lab-based learning initiatives.

Professional experience spans industry and academia, with contributions to Nobel Prize-winning research (her advisor Dr. MacMillan received the 2021 Chemistry Nobel) and development of generic equivalents for critical medications like Copaxone®.