Jeremy Kodanko

Jeremy Kodanko is a Professor and Associate Chair in the Department of Chemistry at Wayne State University, within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. His research focuses on the interface of organic, inorganic, and medicinal chemistry, particularly the development of light-activated metal complexes for biological applications. He holds a B.S. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1998), a Ph.D. from the University of California-Irvine (2003), and completed a NIH postdoctoral fellowship at MIT (2003–2006).

Research Interests: Kodanko’s lab explores organic/inorganic synthesis, catalysis, coordination chemistry, and enzyme inhibition. Key projects include designing metal-based drugs, studying iron chemistry, and developing light-activated compounds for cancer therapeutics. Recent work highlights include light-controlled enzyme inhibition and photocaged ligand systems.

Grants & Funding

• Co-PI on NSF grant (2018–2021): Design of New Ru(II) Complexes to Control Excited State Reactivity
• PI on NIH grant (2013–2018): Light Activation of Enzyme Inhibition
• PI on Penrose Therapeutx grant (2016–2018): Detastanib Mechanism Studies
• ACS Petroleum Research Fund grant (2007–2009): Remote Functionalization Catalysis

Labs/Teams: The Kodanko Group (website) specializes in interdisciplinary chemical research. Courses taught include Organic Chemistry II and its engineering-focused counterpart, with upcoming terms in 2023–2025.