Robert Kennedy, Ph.D.

Michigan Neuroscience Institute Affiliate
Chair of Chemistry Department
Hobart Willard Distinguished University Professor
Professor of Pharmacology, Medical School
Professor of Macromolecular Science and Engineering, College of Engineering

Chemistry Building
930 N University Ave.
Room 4815
Ann Arbor, MI 48109

734-615-4363

Biography

Dr. Kennedy served as a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Florida for 11 years before joining the faculty of the University of Michigan. At U-M, he teaches undergraduate courses in analytical chemistry and a graduate course on Chemical Separations. He has held several service posts and is presently Associate Editor of Analytical Chemistry and Director of the Microfluidics in Biomedical Sciences Training Program at Michigan.

Areas of Interest

The Kennedy Lab researches analytical chemistry and its application to neuroscience, endocrinology, and biotechnology. They have developed instrumentation that couples sampling probes to capillary electrophoresis, capillary chromatography, mass spectrometry, and microfluidic assays for monitoring neurotransmitters in vivo. These methods have been used for studying changes in neurotransmitter concentrations associated with behavior and diseases. They also developed sensors and microfluidic devices for monitoring insulin secretion from pancreatic b-cells. These methods are coupled with metabolomics to understand the biochemical mechanism of insulin secretion and perturbations associated with diabetes. Lastly, his group researches the use of rapid electrophoretic and mass spectrometric assays as novel approaches to high-throughput screening.

Honors & Awards

Dr. Kennedy's work has been recognized by several awards including two MERIT awards from the NIH, a Presidential Faculty Fellowship, a Sloan Foundation Fellowship, Beckman Young Investigator Award, ACS Findeis Award, McKnight Award for Technical Innovations in Neuroscience, and Golay Award for Achievements in Chromatography.

Credentials

  • B.S., Chemistry, University of Florida (1984)
  • Ph.D., University of North Carolina (1988).
  • Post-doctoral fellow, University of North Carolina (1989-91)  

Published Articles or Reviews

Web Sites