Made possible by the Hercules Family

Please join us on 4/10/2026 in Eberly 307 for a panel of distinguished chemists across both industry and academia who will be offering career guidance and advice.

Panelists include Adam Brockman, PhD, DABT; Lucinda R. Hittle, Ph.D; Professor David C. Muddiman, Ph.D; Kasi V. Somayajula, Ph.D.; Brian R. Strohmeier, Ph.D; Stephanie S. Watson, Ph.D.; and more! Dr. Hittle will be moderating the event.

Biographies

Adam Brockman, PhD, DABT

Adam Brockman is Senior Director of ADME-DMPK at Jnana Therapeutics, where he works at the intersection of chemistry, biology, and pharmacokinetics to help turn promising molecules into real medicines.

With more than 25 years in the biopharma industry, Adam has built a career in drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK), toxicology, and translational science, working across both small biotech startups and large pharmaceutical companies. He has contributed to drug development programs in ocular, inflammatory, CNS, oncology, and infectious disease areas, and has helped advance multiple compounds from early discovery through IND with some reaching NDA submissions.

Before joining Jnana, Adam was Senior Director of Translational Science at Aldeyra Therapeutics and has held leadership roles at Millennium Pharmaceuticals (now Takeda), Pfizer, Cyprotex, and small biotech startups. Over the years, he has worked closely with chemists, biologists, clinicians, and regulators—giving him a broad perspective on the many career paths available to scientists beyond graduate school.

Outside of work, Adam plays guitar in local bands, follows Pittsburgh Panthers football, basketball, and the Boston Celtics, and spends time with his wife, son, two daughters, and their elderly Boston terrier.

Lucinda R. Hittle, Ph.D

Lucinda R. Hittle obtained her B.S. Chemistry from Indiana University and her Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh under the direction of Professor David M. Hercules.  She then worked with Professor Franz Hillenkamp at the University of Muenster, Germany as an Alexander von Humboldt postdoctoral fellow.  Lucinda has worked in various scientific and management roles within Pfizer, Merck, Kallyope and Covant Therapeutics; mentoring and serving as a subject matter expert on preclinical and clinical projects.  She is currently President and Principal Consultant at Discovery and Development Insights.

Over the course of her career, Lucinda has been involved in drug discovery and development programs in disease areas including oncology, diabetes, cardiometabolic, inflammation, neuroscience, dermatology, and infectious diseases. She has contributed to the filings of marketed products including palbociclib (IbranceTM), posaconazole (NoxafilTM) and molnupiravir (LagevrioTM).

Lucinda has been active in several scientific societies and organizations including the International Society for the Study of Xenobiotics (ISSX) and the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS).  She was elected to the ASMS Board of Directors as treasurer from 2010-2012 and has served on several committees including founding the Career Development Interest Group. She has authored more than 35 research articles and book chapters.  

Prof. David C. Muddiman, Ph.D

David C. Muddiman is the Jacob and Betty Belin Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, Associate Head of Chemistry and the Founding Director, Molecular Education, Technology and Research Innovation Center (METRIC) at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC (2018-2023). Prior to moving his research group to North Carolina State University in 2005, David was a Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Founder and Director of the Proteomics Research Center at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, MN. Prior to this appointment, David was an Associate Professor of Chemistry at Virginia Commonwealth University. It was there that he began his professional career as an assistant professor with an adjunct appointment in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and as a member of the Massey Cancer Center in 1997. These academic appointments were preceded by a postdoctoral fellowship at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory under Richard D. Smith from 1995-1997. David was born in Long Beach, CA in 1967 but spent most of his formative years in a small town in Pennsylvania. David received his B.S. in chemistry from Gannon University (Erie, PA) in 1990 and his Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh in 1995 under the auspices of the late David M. Hercules. Dr. Muddiman was Editor of Analytical and Biological Chemistry (2015-2020) and he is currently the Coordinating Editor of the Journal of Mass Spectrometry (2022-present), and serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of Molecular and Cellular Proteomics, Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, and the Journal of Chromatography B. He also serves as the Chair of the advisory board of the NIH Funded Yale/NIDA Neuroproteomics Center, Yale University. Dr. Muddiman has served as a member of the ASMS Board of Directors (2013-2015) as well as Treasurer (2013-2015) and President (2015-2017) of the United States Human Proteome Organization. His group has presented over 835 invited lectures and presentations at national and international meetings including 35 plenary/keynote lectures. His group has published over 365 peer-reviewed papers and reviews and has received six US patents. In 2024 Dr. Muddiman was elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He is the recipient of the 2023 Donald F. Hunt Distinguished Contribution to Proteomics Award, 2016 Graduate School Outstanding Graduate Faculty Mentor Award in the Mathematical, Physical Sciences, and Engineering, 2015 ACS Award in Chemical Instrumentation, 2010 Biemann Medal (American Society for Mass Spectrometry), 2009 NCSU Alumni Outstanding Research Award, the 2004 ACS Arthur F. Findeis Award, the 1999 American Society for Mass Spectrometry Research Award, and the 1990-1991 Safford Award for Excellence in Teaching (University of Pittsburgh). Dr. Muddiman’s research is at the intersection of innovative mass spectrometry platform technologies, systems biology, environmental science, and model organisms to understand human disease and is largely funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Kasi V. Somayajula, Ph.D.

Dr. Kasi V. Somayajula holds an M.Sc. in Organic Chemistry from Andhra University, Waltair, and a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, where his doctoral research focused on mass spectral rearrangements in the gas phase.

Following his Ph.D., Dr. Somayajula joined the research program of Prof. David. M. Hercules, at the Department of Chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh working on advanced projects in desorption mass spectrometry. He subsequently served as Research Associate Professor and Director of the Mass Spectrometry Facility in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh. In this role, he led major instrumentation initiatives and provided analytical leadership in support of a wide range of interdisciplinary research programs.

Dr. Somayajula is currently Director and Principal Analytical Scientist at the Global R&D team at The Coca‑Cola Company. With more than four decades of experience in analytical chemistry and mass spectrometry spanning both academia and industry, his work focuses on applying advanced analytical science to ingredient innovation, sweetener discovery, product development, stability assessment, and global regulatory support.

Brian R. Strohmeier, Ph.D

Brian R. Strohmeier has more than 40 years of research experience in the fields of surface analytical chemistry and applied surface science.  He is self-employed since 2025 as the Principal and Founder of his own consulting company - Surface Science Solutions, LLC.  He was previously employed in various research and managerial positions at Avery Dennison, U.S. Steel, Thermo Fisher Scientific, RJ Lee Group, the University of Pittsburgh Chemistry Department, PPG Industries, Alcoa, and the University of Delaware Chemical Engineering Department. 

Brian holds a Ph.D. degree in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh, an M.A. degree in Leadership from Duquesne University, an M.S. degree in Analytical Chemistry from Lehigh University, and a B.S. degree in Chemistry from Delaware Valley University.  He is the co-inventor of two U.S. patents and the author/co-author of 66 publications involving materials surface characterization studies, as well as scientific leadership and management topics, with an H-index of 23 and more than 3,200 citations.  He has also authored/co-authored 149 oral and poster presentations (53 invited) at conferences and other scientific meetings.  Brian was the 2024-25 Chair of the Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh (SSP) and will serve as the 2027 President of the Pittcon Conference and Exposition, which will be held in Pittsburgh for the first time in 60 years.

Stephanie S. Watson, Ph.D.

Dr. Stephanie S. Watson is a Research Chemist in the Infrastructure Materials Group (IMG) in the Materials and Structural Systems Division (MSSD) of the Engineering Laboratory (EL) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Her current research focuses on the characterization and performance of cement and concrete materials. She presently leads a project on Assessing Pyrrhotite (iron sulfide mineral) in Concrete to address damage to concrete structures in residential and commercial construction in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Dr Watson is developing a standard test method and a set of calibration reference materials to quantify pyrrhotite in concrete; documenting the pyrrhotite/aggregate/concrete reactions and rates so that the most deleterious reactions can be efficiently reduced or eliminated; and evaluating proposed mitigation strategies to manage the deleterious effect of the presence of the pyrrhotite mineral as a component of the aggregate in concrete.

Dr. Watson’s initial NIST research was on the surface characterization of metal oxide powders used in pigmentary and nanoparticle applications (coatings, polymer systems, and photocatalysts). These properties were used to study the photocatalytic and thermal reactivity of these oxides in different media. She continued her research on polymeric materials on two prominent projects.  In a project with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the condition test methods used on electrical cables found in aging US nuclear power plants that required re-licensing were assessed. This project included an accelerated aging experiment with simultaneous gamma radiation, temperature and relative humidity and examined several condition test methods that measured electrical, mechanical, and chemical properties. Dr Watson also led a project on automotive paint trace evidence in the Forensics Program at NIST.  The goal of this project was to improve the uncertainty of current characterization methods used in the forensic community and add a weathering factor to improve the individual identification of evidence.

Prior to joining NIST in 2002, Dr Watson was a Senior Scientist at Millennium Chemicals, Inc. (now INEOS), in Baltimore, MD.