Bio

Professor Hadad received his B.S. with Honors degree in Chemistry from the University of Delaware in 1987. He was a Fannie and John Hertz pre-doctoral fellow at Yale University and obtained his Ph.D. degree in Organic Chemistry with Professor Kenneth Wiberg in 1993. He was a National Science Foundation post-doctoral fellow (1992 — 1994) at the University of Colorado (Boulder) with Professor Charles DePuy, and he then joined the Ohio State University in 1994 as an assistant professor. He has been honored with a National Science Foundation CAREER award. 

Research Overview

The central research focus of our team's efforts is on the study of reaction mechanisms. We are interested in a diverse set of circumstances for these investigations – from biochemical applications in which organic transformations occur in an enzyme's active site; (2) the reactions of reactive oxygen species in biochemical, atmospheric (environmental) and combustion environments; (3) the role of reactive intermediates in these reaction mechanisms, especially after photochemical generation; and (4) the optimization of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts for improved conversion of chemical feedstocks. Thus, our research interests lie in understanding the kinetics and thermodynamics of reactive intermediates in the gaseous and condensed phases, and as applied to important applications including chemical biology, environmental chemistry, and energy conversion. Towards these goals, we use a variety of experimental and computational methods to study these diverse problems. We use computational methods for the in silico design of novel drugs, inhibitors, or enzymes for improved efficacy – often with the tools of electronic structure theory, molecular docking, molecular dynamics, hybrid quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) methods. We then verify our theoretical predictions with a variety of experimental methods, including organic synthesis, chemical kinetics, photoaffinity labeling, and mass spectrometry.

A variety of synergistic experimental and computational efforts are currently underway in the research group. A number of projects are targeting the design of novel enzymes for novel function or developing new routes for protection from exposure to organophosphorus (OP) agents, including pesticides and chemical nerve agents. Using tools of rapid in silico design, we are designing, and then verifying, the improved function of novel enzymes and chemical reactivators for protection against OPs. In addition, we are developing novel spin probes for the in vivo detection of biological agents using trityl radicals and electron paramagnetic resonance imaging. In energy applications, we are studying the reaction mechanisms for creating hydrogen fuel cells from various precursors. We are also interested in the conversion of value-added chemicals from biomass sources, in order to reduce our dependence on petroleum sources. In environmental applications, we are interested in the fate of organic pollutants in the environment, including the oxidation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons under both biochemical, aqueous and atmospheric conditions.

Currently, our research is supported by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, and the US Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense.

Previous members of the research group have taken on positions in industry and in academia. Recently, students have found employment at 3M, Chemical Abstracts, Dow Chemical, Marathon Oil, Procter & Gamble, Lubrizol and Vertex. Students interested in academic positions have taken assistant professor positions at diverse schools, including Bowdoin College, Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay, Iowa State University, Otterbein College, St. Louis University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Winston-Salem State University.

Recent Publications

Selected publications (see website for complete list):

Narcissistic assembly of homochiral covalent organic cages with dehydrobenzo[12]annulene (DBA) panels
Ward, C. E.; Maguire, R. J.; Kumar, N.; Hadad, C. M.; Badjic, J. D.
Chem. Commun. 2026, 62, 11605 – 11609. DOI: 10.1039/D6CC02397E

An Ultrafast Time Resolved Infrared and Computational Study of the Photochemistry of Ethyl 2-Diazo-3,3,3-Trifluoropropanoate (CF₃CN₂CO₂Et)
Joseph, J.; Kubicki, J.; Chakraborty, M.; Burdzinski, G.; Coldren, W. H.; Luk, H. L.; Reid, C. S.; Platz, M. S.; Hadad, C. M.
J. Phys. Org. Chem. 2026, 39, e70089. DOI: 10.1002/poc.70089

Imidazole as a Pendant Reactivation Ligand Increases Efficacy Scope for Reactivation and Resurrection of Organophosphorus-Inhibited/Aged Cholinesterases by Quinone Methide Precursors
Lovins, A. R.; Miller, K. A.; Homoelle, R. K.; Hoover, H. J.; McElroy, C. A.; Callam C. S.; Hadad, C. M.
ACS Chem. Neurosci. 2026, 17, 962 – 975. DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.5c00631

Human CYP2C9 Metabolism of Organophosphorus Pesticides and Nerve Agent Surrogates
Shriwas, P.; Noonchester, A. M.; Revnew, A.; Lane, T. R.; Hadad, C. M.; Ekins, S.; McElroy, C. A.
J. Xenobiot. 2026, 16, 1. DOI: 10.3390/jox16010001

An Ultrafast Infrared and UV–Vis Study of the Photochemistry of 2-Naphthaloxycarbonyl Azide
Kubicki, J.; Xue, J.; Luk, H. L.; Joseph, J.; Saha, B.; Danilov, E. O.; Coldren, W. H.; Hadad, C. M.; Platz, M. S.
J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2025, 16, 12298 – 12303. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.5c03287

Aza-peptide Aldehydes and Ketones: Synthesis and Evaluation as Human 20S Proteasome Inhibitors
Corrigan, T. S.; Border, S. E.; Lotti Diaz, L. M.; Kasper, K. Q.; Noonchester, A. M.; Amer, R.; Kucway, K. S.; Fleisher, M.; Fernandez, J. P.; Lovins, A. R.; Serrano, A. K.; Caffrey, C. R.; O’Donoghue, A. J.; Benson, D. M., Jr.; Hadad, C. M.; Dogan Ekici, O.
Future Med. Chem. 2025, 1 – 14. DOI: 10.1080/17568919.2025.2561542

Dendritic Pillar[6]Arenes with Fixed Planar Chirality for Stereoselective Inclusions in Water: A Case of Facile Differentiation of Cocaine Adulterants, Levamisole, and Dexamisole
Kumar, N.; Karmakar, P.; Politeski, M. D.; Hansen, A. R.; Ward, C. E.; Mortensen, C.; Hadad, C. M.; Pratumyot, K.; Badjic, J. D.
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2025, e202514676. DOI: 10.1002/anie.202514676

Design, Synthesis, and Evaluation of Aza-Peptide Michael Acceptors as Human 20S Proteasome Inhibitors: Extension to the Prime Site
Border, S. E.; Lotti Diaz, L. M.; Amer, R.; Noonchester, A. M.; Kucway, K. S.; Fleisher, M.; Fernandez, J. P.; Lovins, A. R.; Corrigan, T. S.; Serrano, A. K.; Caffrey, C. R.; O’Donoghue, A. J.; Benson, D. M.; Hadad, C. M.; Dogan Ekici, O.
ACS Omega 2025, 10, 31549 – 31567. DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.5c02128

Molecular docking and biological evaluation of a novel IWS1 inhibitor for the treatment of human retroperitoneal liposarcoma
Goryunova, M.; He, Y.; Karakis, C.; Titerina, E. K.; Salazar-Puerta, A. I.; Tahara, S.; Sp, N.; Thakkar, N. N.; Combita-Heredia, O.; Dathathreya, K.; La Ferlita, A.; Xu, Y.; Zhang, Z.; Pollock, R.; Gallego-Perez, D.; Zhu, H.; Hadad, C. M.; Beane, J. D.
Scientific Reports 2025, 15, 22965. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-07215-y

Development and Characterization of pFluor50, a Fluorogenic-based Kinetic Assay System for High-throughput Inhibition Screening and Characterization of Time-dependent Inhibition and Inhibition Type for Six Human CYPs
Shriwas, P.; Revnew, A.; Roo, S.; Bender, A.; Miller, K.; Hadad, C. M.; Lane, T. R.; Ekins, S.; McElroy, C. A.
Molecules 2025, 30, 2032. DOI: 10.3390/molecules30092032

Unprecedented Alkylation of the Catalytic Histidine in the Aging of Cholinesterases after Inhibition by Organophosphorus Pesticides
Miller, K. A.; He, Y.; Allen, S. K.; McElroy, C. A.; Callam C. S.; Hadad, C. M.
Chem. Res. Toxicol. 2025, 38, 503-518. DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.5c00031