Faculty Profile for Professor Sean Michael Kerwin

profile photo for Professor Sean Michael Kerwin
Professor Sean Michael Kerwin
Professor — Mtrls Sci, Engrg & Comrclzatn Prgm
Regents' Professor — Chemistry and Biochemistry
CHEM 348 CENT
phone: (512) 245-1056
Scholarly/Creative Work
Awards
Grants
Service

Biography Section

Biography and Education

 Sean Kerwin earned a PhD in chemistry from UC Berkeley. After postdoctoral work at UC San Francisco, he began his academic career at UT Austin in the College of Pharmacy, and moved to Texas State University in 2015 where ​he is currently Regents' Professor and Director of the Materials Science, Engineering, and Commercialization ​Program.

Teaching Interests

 Organic chemistry, biochemistry, nucleic acids, and medicinal chemistry

Research Interests

 Application of N-alkynyl heterocycles in synthesis, natural product synthesis, medicinal chemistry, nucleic acid biochemistry focused on non-canonical DNA structures, self-assembly of reconfigurable soft materials

Selected Scholarly/Creative Work

  • Kerwin, S. M., & Subbarao, M. (2024). Water-Mediated Synthesis of (E)-3-(1-methyl-1H-benzo[d]imidazol-5-yl)-N-phenethylacrylamide, a Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Amide analogue. MolBank, M1915. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.3390/M1915
  • Das, M. K., Williams, E. P., Myhre, M. W., David, W. M., & Kerwin, S. M. (2024). Calcium-Dependent Chemiluminescence Catalyzed by a Truncated c-MYC Promoter G-Triplex DNA. Molecules, 29, 4457. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29184457
  • Saucedo, A., Subbarao, M., Jemal, M. J., Mesa-Diaz, N. L., Smith, J. L., Vernaza, A., … Kerwin, S. M. (2024). Flow and On-Water Synthesis and Cancer Cell Cytotoxicity of Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Amide (CAPA) Derivatives. Int J Mol Sci., 25(15), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3390/genes15101268
  • Jewett, A., Bondoc, J., Gilbreath, B., Reinus, B., & Kerwin, S. M. (2022). Spirocyclic Products via Carbene Intermediates from Thermolysis of 1,2-Dialkynylpyrrole and 1,2-Diethynylimidzoles. SynLett, 33(07), 674-678.
  • Yadav, G., Kumar, S., Kumar, D., Kataria, R., Laroche, C., & Kerwin, S. M. (2022). Phenyliodine(III) diacetate-mediated dearomatization of 2-(2-hydroxyaryl)benzoxazoles and 2-(2-hydroxyaryl)benzothiazoles: Regio- and stereoselective synthesis of tetramethoxycyclohexenones and bicyclo[2.2.2]octenones. Journal of Molecular Structure, 1266, 133520.

Selected Awards

  • Award / Honor Recipient: Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors, National Academy of Inventors. 2025 - Present
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Presidential Distinction Award for Service, Texas State University. 2024 - Present
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Regent's Professor, Texas State University System. 2024 - Present
  • Award / Honor Recipient: University Distinguished Professor, Texas State University. 2024 - Present
  • Award / Honor Recipient: COSE Excellence in Teaching Award, COSE. 2023 - Present

Selected Grants

  • Lewis, Karen A (Principal), Kerwin, Sean Michael (Co-Principal), Whitten, Steven T (Co-Principal), Kornienko, Alexander Vladimir (Supporting), Peterson, Ryan Loren (Supporting), Xue, Xiaoyu (Supporting). MRI: Acquisition of Automated Isothermal Titration Calorimeter for Biophysical Research at Texas State University, National Science Foundation, Federal, $262280. (Submitted: January 19, 2022, Funded: September 1, 2022 - August 31, 2025). Grant.
  • Lewis, Karen A (Principal), Luxford, Cynthia J (Co-Principal), Wheeler, Brittany Marie (Co-Principal), Webre, Whitney Ann (Co-Principal), Holland, Cory Lee (Co-Principal), Betancourt, Tania (Supporting), Brittain, William J (Supporting), Hudnall, Todd W (Supporting), Irvin, Jennifer A (Supporting), Kerwin, Sean Michael (Supporting), Kornienko, Alexander Vladimir (Supporting), Peterson, Ryan Loren (Supporting), Rhodes, Christopher Peter (Supporting). REU Site: A Chemistry REU on Molecular Innovation and Exploration (CheMIE), National Science Foundation, Federal, $378188. (Submitted: August 25, 2021, Funded: April 15, 2022 - Present). Grant.
  • Betancourt, Tania (Principal), Brittain, William J (Co-Principal), Irvin, Jennifer A (Co-Principal), Theodoropoulou, Nikoleta (Co-Principal), Martin, Benjamin (Co-Principal), Rhodes, Christopher Peter (Co-Principal), Wistey, Mark A (Co-Principal), Miyahara, Yoichi (Co-Principal), Kerwin, Sean Michael (Co-Principal). TxState-UT PREM Center for Intelligent Materials Assembly (CIMA), National Science Foundation, Federal, $3822000. (Funded: July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2027). Grant.
  • Lewis, Karen A (Principal), Kerwin, Sean Michael (Co-Principal), McLean, Robert J C (Co-Principal), Chang, Carolyn T (Supporting), David, Wendi M (Supporting). U-RISE at Texas State, National Institutes of Health - National Institute of General Medical Sciences, Federal, $2238578. (Funded: April 1, 2021 - March 31, 2026). Grant.
  • Kerwin, Sean Michael (Principal). Circular Dichroism Spectrometer, NIH, Federal, $209852. (Submitted: 2024, Funded: August 1, 2025 - 2027). Grant.

Selected Service Activities

Graduate Advisor
Interim Director, IMBC
2024-Present
Participant
THECB Site Visit for IMBC Program
2024-Present
Participant
THECB Board Meeting Presentation of IMBC Program
2024-Present
Participant
Rising Doctoral Institute Workshop
2024-Present
Member
Institutional Biosafety Committee
2022-Present