Elise Champeil

Elise Champeil is a Professor of Chemistry at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY. She holds a HDR (Habilitation à diriger des recherches) from Montpellier, France (2018), a PhD from Trinity College Dublin (2000), and an MS from Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Lille (1996). Her research focuses on the intersection of chemistry and biology, particularly on anti-cancer drugs like mitomycin C, their DNA interactions, and synthetic chemistry methods. She is a Principal Investigator (PI) and teaches organic chemistry, forensic science, and molecular modeling courses.

Research interests include DNA adduct formation, NMR-based drug detection, and molecular modeling. Notable discoveries include identifying novel DNA sequence targets for mitomycins and developing synthetic routes to interstrand crosslinks. She has mentored over 37 undergraduate and 10 graduate students. Her work is funded by NIH grants, emphasizing cellular signaling responses to DNA lesions caused by anti-cancer agents.

Publications span 28 peer-reviewed articles in journals like Chemistry-A European Journal and Nucleic Acids Research, with a focus on mitomycin C mechanisms, drug synthesis, and forensic applications of NMR. Her lab explores both synthetic chemistry innovations and biological impact of anti-cancer molecules.

Teaching responsibilities include Organic Chemistry I/II, Forensic Science, and a developing course on the chemistry of cooking. She has contributed to forensic science education through curriculum development and student research mentorship.