Raul Rodriguez-Berrios

Dr. Raúl R. Rodríguez-Berríos is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus (UPR-RP), where he leads research in two main areas: (1) chemistry education research in organic chemistry (CEROC) and biochemistry, and (2) the synthesis of ferrocene- and azo dye-based compounds for the evaluation of their antimicrobial and anticancer activity.
Dr. Rodríguez earned his B.S. in Chemistry from UPR-Cayey in 2004 and completed his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry at UPR-RP in 2010 under the mentorship of Dr. José A. Prieto, focusing on the synthesis of natural products. He then conducted postdoctoral research in total synthesis at The University of Texas at Austin, supported by a prestigious National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) postdoctoral fellowship. In 2011, he was recognized by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) as one of the 15 most outstanding young Puerto Rican scientists worldwide.
He has over a decade of experience teaching a wide range of chemistry courses, including General, Organic, Analytical, Biochemistry, and elective courses such as Medicinal Natural Products and Food Chemistry. His expertise includes purification by chromatographic techniques and characterization using advanced spectroscopic methods. He integrates technology and research-grade instrumentation in undergraduate labs, and designs inquiry-based experiments with a strong emphasis on assessing student learning, perceptions, and performance.
As principal investigator, Dr. Rodríguez has received several competitive grants, including awards from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the Social Science Research Council through the Sloan Scholars Mentoring Network (SSMN). He has also received fellowships from Santander Universidades (Ibero-American Fellowship) and PR-LSAMP. He currently mentors undergraduate and graduate students, as well as high school students through programs such as ACS Project SEED and the NSF REU: PR-CLIMB program.
Dr. Rodríguez is a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society and the American Chemical Society (ACS). His current research includes the synthesis and biological evaluation of azo dyes and ferrocene derivatives, as well as the development of innovative, research-based laboratory experiences in organic chemistry and biochemistry.