Jean Fotie

For Southeastern Professor of Organic Chemistry Jean Fotie, developing a relevant and nationally competitive research program with a major focus on creating solutions for real life problems has always been at the center of his ambition since he began his Southeastern career 13 years ago.

According to Professor of Physics Gerard Blanchard, Fotie’s research at Southeastern has been incredibly versatile and of great practical importance. His research areas include development of therapeutics for malaria, collaboration with local industry to increase productivity, and development of chemical means to capture and sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide.

“Dr. Fotie’s research has benefitted Southeastern by providing our students with authentic professional learning experiences, by fulfilling Southeastern’s mission of supporting the economic development of Southeastern, and by bringing funding to the university,” Blanchard said. “His excellence in research is evidenced by state and federal support for his research in the form of funding; by the support of his scientific collaborators in research; by the scientific products that resulted from his research; by his service as a science advisor to external entities and his professional service based on his expertise shown by his research; and by the students who participate in his research.”

During his tenure, Fotie has brought Southeastern over $900,000 in competitively awarded external funding for his research, which came from the Louisiana Biomedical Research Network, the Louisiana Board of Regents, and the National Science Foundation. He produced 25 refereed journal articles, of which 13 were co-authored by Southeastern undergraduates, four book chapters, and one provisional patent through his research activities.

The relevance of Fotie’s research is evidenced by his service as a science advisor for the Louisiana Governor’s Climate Initiatives Task Force and for the International Foundation for Science. He also serves on the editorial board for the Annals of Medicinal Chemistry and Research and previously served on the editorial board of Jacob’s Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.

In his years at Southeastern, Fotie has had the opportunity to supervise the research work of about 58 individual students, corresponding to roughly 162 semesters worth of research. “My greatest pride has been the fact that all our research activities have been centered on making our graduates ‘Real-World-Ready,’ by bridging the gap between academia and industry via a learning by doing approach,” he said.

“Dr. Fotie’s research activity exceeds the ordinary standards of excellence in many ways,” Blanchard said. “His research brings funding and national recognition to Southeastern and greatly benefits our students. He is a versatile and national-class organic chemist and a faculty member of exceptional merit whose excellence merits recognition.”