About Rose

C. Rose Kennedy, PhD

Assistant Professor of Chemistry
University of Rochester
Email: c.r.kennedy@rochester.edu

Education & Experience

• NIH Postdoctoral Fellow (2017–2019)
  Princeton University (w/ Paul Chirik)
• NSF Graduate Research Fellow (2011–2016)
  Harvard University (w/ Eric Jacobsen)
• B.S. in Chemistry (2007–2011)
  University of Rochester (w/ Alison Frontier & Kara Bren)

Rose discovered her passion for chemistry as an undergraduate student at the University of Rochester, where she explored many aspects of the “central science” through research with Professors Kara L. Bren and Alison J. Frontier and through numerous peer‑teaching opportunities for classes ranging from general and organic chemistry to chemical instrumentation. Upon graduating summa cum laude in 2011, she pursued doctoral research as an NSF Graduate Research Fellow with Professor Eric N. Jacobsen at Harvard University. During her time in the Jacobsen group, she discovered a synergistic ion‑binding strategy for enantioselective catalysis and elucidated key mechanistic features of reaction systems for ion‑binding catalysis. She next moved to Princeton University to examine the cooperative interplay of redox‑active transition metals and ligands in selective catalysis from an organometallic perspective as an NIH NRSA Postdoctoral Research Fellow with Professor Paul J. Chirik. At Princeton, she leveraged mechanistic insights to develop catalytic methodology for upgrading unactivated olefins to value‑added motifs through the formation and control of metallacyclic intermediates. Rose returned to the University of Rochester in January 2020 to launch her independent career as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry. There, the Kennedy Research Group combines mechanistic elucidation and the development of synthetic methodology to modulate and control catalytic reactivity. Rose has been recognized with awards including a Packard Fellowship, NIH Maximizing Investigator Research Award, NSF CAREER Award, Kavli Fellowship, Thieme Chemistry Journals Award, ACS Division of Organic Chemistry Young Investigator Award, and Amgen Young Investigator Award. She was appointed as the James P. Wilmot Distinguished Assistant Professor for the 2024–2026 term.

Rose was recently interviewed as part of Synform’s Young Career Focus; read more here.