Jessica L. Sarver
Associate Professor/Chair
Chemistry Faculty
sarverjl@westminster.edu
(724) 946-6299
Campus Location:
Hoyt Science Resources Center
084
Mailbox: 119
Jessica L. Sarver
About Me
I am an associate professor and chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry.
I earned my B.S. in chemistry from Penn State Behrend and my Ph.D. in chemistry from The University of Pittsburgh where I worked in the Saxena lab. I was a postdoctoral researcher in the Cafiso lab at the University of Virginia.
I primarily teach physical chemistry (CHE 331 - Biophysical Chemistry, CHE 338 - Physical Chemistry), general chemistry (CHE 111 - Foundations of Chemistry, CHE 117 - Principles of Chemistry) and a non-majors food chemistry course (CHE 102 - Chemistry in your Kitchen).
I am currently the faculty advisor for the Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society (chemistry club). I am also an active member of the Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh, the Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh, and currently serve on the organizing committee for the Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy.
Research
As a biophysical chemist, I am interested in using spectroscopy to investigate biological systems. I primarily use a form of magnetic resonance spectroscopy known as electron spin resonance (ESR) which is sensitive to unpaired electrons or radicals. My research students and I are currently working on generating mutants of the membrane-binding protein alpha-synuclein for ESR studies. We are also interested in measuring the antioxidant behavior of fermented beverages, such as beer and kombucha, using ESR and UV-Vis spectroscopies. Lastly, I incorporate molecular dynamics (MD) simulations in my teaching and research as a tool to probe the atomic-level details of protein systems.