Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Biography
Dr. Seffernick is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. He earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from The Ohio State University, specializing in physical chemistry. He later completed postdoctoral training at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Through his experiences as an undergraduate at a liberal arts college and as an instructor at a community college, Dr. Seffernick developed a strong commitment to the liberal arts and to expanding access to higher education.
His research interests are at the intersection of biological, physical, and computational chemistry. The Seffernick Lab at SMCM seeks to understand and model how protein structure influences biology and therapeutics. The group uses computational approaches including protein structure prediction, computer-aided drug discovery, molecular dynamics, and data science to uncover hidden patterns in protein structure and develop new computational methods.
Dr. Seffernick is also passionate about mentoring undergraduates in their personal and professional development, particularly by helping students build skills in oral presentation, scientific writing, data literacy, and resilience. He teaches Physical Chemistry at SMCM.
Areas of Research Specialization
- Computational Chemistry
- Protein folding and structure
- Molecular modeling and simulation
- Computer-aided drug discovery
Areas of Teaching Specialization
- Physical Chemistry
- General Chemistry
Education
-
B.A. in Chemistry at Ohio Wesleyan University, 2016
-
Ph.D. in Chemistry at The Ohio State University, 2021
-
in Postdoctoral Research Associate at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 2021