Department of Chemistry Faculty

Faculty

Ray von Wandruszka

Department Chair & Professor

Dr. von Wandruszka's website

Education

B.Sc. (Honours), Chemistry, University of the Witwatersrand, 1973
Ph.D., Analytical Chemistry, University of Wyoming, 1977

Courses

Chem 418/518, Environmental Chemistry
Chem 420/520, Forensic Chemistry
Chem 253, Quantitative Analysis

Focus Areas

Analytical Chemistry
Archaeochemistry
Environmental Chemistry
Forensic Chemistry

Biography

1978–79, Postdoctoral Lecturer, University of Georgia
1980–87, Lecturer and Senior Lecturer, University of the Witwatersrand
1986, Research Associate (sabbatical), University of Florida
1988–1992, Assistant Professor, University of Idaho
1992–1998, Associate Professor, University of Idaho
1998–Present, Professor, University of Idaho
2006–Present, Professor and Chair of Chemistry, University of Idaho

Selected Publications

“Construction and evaluation of a fluorescent sensor for the detection of high explosives”, Ray von Wandruszka, Matthew Pollard, Michael Spinner, Anal. Lett., 46, 266-274 (2013).
“The effects of conformational changes on the native fluorescence of aqueous humic materials”, Leah Shaffer and Ray von Wandruszka, Am Chem Sci J., 4(3), 326-336 (2014).
“Temperature Induced Aggregation and Clouding in Humic Acid Solutions”, Leah Shaffer and Ray von Wandruszka, Adv. Environ. Chem., vol. 2015, ID 543614, 6 pages (2015).
“Chemical Analysis of Pharmaceutical Materials Recovered from a Historical Dump in Nampa, Idaho”, Ray von Wandruszka, David Valentine, Mark Warner, Vaughn Kimball, Tara Summer, Alicia Fink, Sidney Hunter, J Northwest Anthropology, 50(2), 212-227 (2016).
“A Practical Approach to the Chemical Analysis of Historical Materials”, Ray von Wandruszka and Mark Warner, Historical Archaeology, 52(4), 741-752 (2018).
“Recognizing and Analyzing Chinese Stone Drugs”, Ray von Wandruszka and Mark Warner, Historical Archaeology, doi/10.1007/s41636-021-00306-3 (2021).
“Very Interesting Artifacts – Chemical Analysis in Historical Archaeology”, Nikaila Price, Emily Hodgman-Richter, and Ray von Wandruszka, Proceedings of Northwest Anthropology Conference 2021, J Northwest Anthropology, Special Publication #5, 71–85 (2021).
“The Chemistry of Artifacts Connected to Health and Beauty”, Ray von Wandruszka, Phoenix Crossley, Isabella MacLean-Cariello, Madeline Moody, Claire Qualls, Jordyn Tuning, Cameron Young, Proceedings of Northwest Anthropology Conference 2023, J Northwest Anthropology, Special Publication #8, 178-185 (2023).
“Urine on the Shelves – Odious Materials in Archaeological Collections”, Mark Warner and Ray von Wandruszka, Advances in Archaeological Practice, 11(4), 1–8 (2023). doi/10.1017/aap.2023.24

Awards and Honors

University of Idaho Award for Excellence in Research or Creative Activity, 1997

Renfrew Hall 116
875 Perimeter Dr, MS 2343 Moscow, ID 83844-2343
Phone: 208-885-6552 Fax: 208-885-6173 Email: chemoff@uidaho.edu

Alina D. Andrasi

Academic Faculty

Office: Renfrew Hall 201

Phone: 208-885-9008

Email: aandrasi@uidaho.edu

Mailing Address: Department of Chemistry, 875 Perimeter Dr, MS 2343, Moscow, ID 83844-2343

Courses

CHEM 111, General Chemistry I
CHEM 111L, General Chemistry I Lab
CHEM 112, General Chemistry II
CHEM 112L, General Chemistry II Lab

Eric B. Brauns

Associate Professor

Office: Renfrew Hall 002

Phone: 208-885-4349

Email: ebrauns@uidaho.edu

Web: Dr. Brauns' website

Mailing Address: Department of Chemistry, 875 Perimeter Dr, MS 2343, Moscow, ID 83844-2343

Education

Technical Staff Member, Los Alamos National Laboratory, 2005
Postdoctoral Fellow, Los Alamos National Laboratory, 2001-2004
Ph.D., University of South Carolina, 2001
B.Sc., Virginia Tech, 1995

Courses

CHEM 305, Physical Chemistry I
CHEM 306, Physical Chemistry II
CHEM 495/PHYS433, Statistical Thermodynamics and Kinetics

Research/Focus Areas

Physical and biophysical chemistry

I. Francis Cheng

Professor

Office: Renfrew Hall 003

Phone: 208-885-6387

Email: ifcheng@uidaho.edu

Web: Dr. Cheng's website

Mailing Address: Department of Chemistry, 875 Perimeter Dr, MS 2343, Moscow, ID 83844-2343

Education

B.S. Chemistry, 1982, University of Delaware
Ph.D. Chemistry, 1988, Penn State University
Postdoc, 1987-1989, Texas A&M University

Courses

CHEM 253, Quantitative Analysis
CHEM 254, Quantitative Analysis Lab
CHEM 409, Proseminar

Selected Publications

Complete list of publications
“Benzoic Acid Modified Pseudo-Graphite Film Electrode for Selective and Sensitive Detection of Dopamine” Forrest Dalbec, Jhonnathan A. Plascencia, I. Francis Cheng, Microchemical Journal under revision September, 2025.

“Rapid Single Molecule Detection of DNA Based on an Electrode Surface-Based PCR Technique.” Micheal Okeke1, Dipak Koirala1, Mathar Bashir1, Glen S. Soderquist1, Joshua A. Russell2, Hui Xiong2, I. Francis Cheng*, under peer review September 2025.

“Attachment of Ferrocene to Pseudo-Graphite for the Robust and Selective Sensing of H2O2” I Francis Cheng; Forrest Dalbec; Jeremy May; Dipak Koirala; Jhonnathan Placencia; Micheal Okeke; Joshua A. Russell; Hui Xiong, Journal of Electrochemical Science and Engineering, J. Electrochem. Sci. Eng. 15(5) (2025) 2705.

“Biosensing with PCR-stable DNA Functionalized, Magnetically Susceptible Carbon-Iron Microparticles” Dipak Koirala, Forrest Dalbec, Jeremy May, Kailash Hamal, Peter B. Allen and I. Francis Cheng, Analytical Chemistry, 2023, 95, 45, 16631–16638.

“Superhydrophilicity and Anti-Fouling behavior in Electrochemically Oxidized Nanocrystalline Pseudo-Graphite” Jeremy May, Forrest Dalbec, Josh Russell, Claire Xiong, Elena Echeverria, David N. McIlroy, I. Francis Cheng, Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, 2023, 62, 6687-6696.