College of Science & Engineering: Chemistry Department-Faculty: Ken Walsh

Faculty

Associate Professor
SC 2263
812-461-5253
walsh@usi.edu

Ken Walsh

I was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland. I attended the University of Bristol, UK and graduated from there with a M.Sci. in Chemistry in 1998. During my undergraduate studies I did undergraduate research with Professor Guy Lloyd-Jones and Professor Tim Gallagher. I stayed on at Bristol for my Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry working on the synthesis of C-glycosides with Professor Tim Gallagher. After completing my Ph.D. studies I made the leap over the pond and did a post-doctoral fellowship with Professor David Lynn at Emory University in Atlanta working in the area of DNA-templated synthesis and the Origins of Life. During my time at Emory I was selected to be a Emory University Howard Hughes Medical Institute Teacher/Scholar and taught a Freshman seminar class about my research topic. From there I took a two year Visiting Assistant Professor position at Sewanee: The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. After two great years at Sewanee, teaching Organic Chemistry and some General Chemistry under the expert guidance of the late Professor Ed Kirven, I came to USI in August 2006. Here at USI I teach mainly the sophomore Organic Chemistry sequence as well as the General, Organic and Biochemistry class. I also teach the Advanced Organic Chemistry class on rotation. My research interests are in carbohydrate chemistry, general organic synthesis and the development of new lab experiments for organic chemistry.

Outside of chemistry, I am an avid fan of football (and American throwball) and support two teams: Bohemians and Bristol City. I am also busy learning parenting skills with my wife Nora since the arrival of our first child, Liam, in June 09.

Courses Taught

CHEM 353 - Organic Chemistry I
CHEM 354- Organic Chemistry II

CHEM 453 - Advanced Organic Chemistry
CHEM 141 Principles of Chemistry

Publications:

Walsh, K. E.; Roberts, B. Journal of Undergraduate Chemistry Research, 2011, 10(2), 148 – 151.

Walsh, K. E.; Thomas, J. A. Foldables for College Chemistry. The Chemical Educator, 2011, 16, 132 – 135.

Wade, E. O.; Walsh, K. E. A Multistep Organocatalysis Experiment for the Undergraduate Organic Laboratory: An Enantioselective Aldol Reaction Catalyzed by Methyl Prolinamide, Journal of Chemical Education, 2011, 88, 1152 – 1154.

Walsh, K. E.; Thomas, J. A.; Walsh, N. G. Using Foldables® in a College Chemistry Course, The Hoosier Science Teacher, Volume XXXVI, 2, Winter 2010, 55-63.

Johnson, J. L.; Walsh, K. E. A Radical Approach to the Synthesis of b-C-Glycosides of 2-Amino Sugars. Proceedings of the 23rd National Conference On Undergraduate Research (NCUR) 2009, La Crosse, Wisconsin, April 2009, 119 - 124.

Grant, L.; Liu, Y.; Walsh, K. E.; Walter, D. S.; Gallagher, T. Galacto, Gluco, Manno and Disaccharide-based C-Glycosides of 2-Amino-2-deoxy Sugars. Org. Lett. 2002, 4623-4625.

Brown, D.; Brown, G. A.; Martel, S. R.; Planchenault, D.; Turmes, E.; Walsh, K. E.; Wisedale, R.; Hales, N. J.; Fishwick, C. W. G.; Gallagher, T. The azomethine ylide strategy for β-lactam synthesis. A comprehensive mechanistic evaluation. J. Chem. Soc.-Perkin Trans. 1 2001, 1270-1280.

Capps, S. M.; Clarke, T. P.; Charmant, J. P. H.; Hoppe, H. A. F.; Lloyd-Jones, G. C.; Murray, M.; Peakman, T. M.; Stentiford, R. A.; Walsh, K. E.; Worthington, P. A. Highly substituted homoallylvinylcyclopropanes by indium- mediated reaction of α,β-unsaturated ketones and aldehydes with allylic halides. Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2000, 963-974.

SanMartin, R.; Tavassoli, B.; Walsh, K. E.; Walter, D. S.; Gallagher, T. Radical-mediated synthesis of α-C-glycosides based on N- acyl galactosamine. Org. Lett. 2000, 2, 4051-4054.

Andrews, M. D.; Brown, G. A.; Charmant, J. P. H.; Peakman, T. M.; Rebello, A.; Walsh, K. E.; Gallagher, T.; Hales, N. J. Aldehydes and ketones as dipolarophiles: application to the synthesis of oxapenams. Chem. Commun. 1999, 249-250

Capps, S. M.; Lloyd-Jones, G. C.; Murray, M.; Peakman, T. M.; Walsh, K. E. Regioselectivity and diastereoselectivity in the indium- mediated homoallyl-cyclopropanation of dibenzylidene acetone (dba). Tetrahedron Lett. 1998, 39, 2853-2856.

Hoppe, H. A.; Lloyd-Jones, G. C.; Murray, M.; Peakman, T. M.; Walsh, K. E. Homoallyl-substituted vinylcyclopropanes from α,β-unsaturated ketones and allylindium derivatives. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 1998, 37, 1545-1547.

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