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Chrystal Bruce

Professor

Department
Chemistry & Biochemistry
Contact
cbruce@jcu.edu
A woman with shoulder-length brown hair and glasses smiles while standing indoors near black columns and a brick wall.

Background

Dr. Chrystal D. Bruce is the Associate Dean for the Natural and Social Sciences and Professor of Chemistry at John Carroll University. In her role, Bruce works to promote excellence in undergraduate and graduate education and helps to ensure faculty success in teaching, research, and service in Social Science and STEM departments. Prior to her role as associate dean, Bruce taught chemistry at JCU and Erskine College. As the first female to achieve the rank of full professor of chemistry at JCU, she has taken a keen interest in the advancement of women within STEM. Bruce served as the Principal Investigator for the $1M NSF ADVANCE ASCEND grant leading an eight-person steering committee to study, disseminate findings, and provide professional development for grant participants to reduce barriers for advancement in STEM. Her research interests include engaging undergraduate students in meaningful contributions in computational chemistry and the teaching and learning of chemistry at the undergraduate level.

Areas of Expertise

  • Molecular dynamics simulations
    Retention and support for mid-career faculty
    Leadership development of faculty and administrators
    Chemistry teaching and learning

Education

B.S., University of Tennessee - Chattanooga
Ph.D., University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

Courses Taught

General Chemistry I and II
Physical Chemistry I and II
Chemistry of Poisons linked course with Detective Fiction

Publications

  1. “Advancing Mid-Career Women in Academia: The Role of Strategic Policies and Transparent Practices in Shaping Faculty Success,” Victoria Turgeon, Mary Katherine Watson, Chrystal Bruce, Patricia Flatt, Elizabeth Roberts-Kirchhoff, Sarah Kirk, Hala Schepmann, & Maria Bertagnolli. Journal of Faculty Development. 2025, 39, 3, 65-78.

  2. “Facilitating Faculty Retention and Professional Development through External Peer Mentor Networks,” The Department Chair, Maria Bertagnolli, Chrystal Bruce, Sarah Kirk, Hala Schepmann, Victoria Turgeon, Spring 2024

  3. “Using Modified Long Chain Fatty Acids to Explore Protein Dynamics in an Intracellular-Lipid Binding Protein” Emily Ellis, Peter Koetting, Jenna Colton, Chrystal D. Bruce. Physical Chemistry Research at Undergraduate Institutions: Innovative and Impactful Approaches, Volume 1; Parish, Carol and Hopkins, Todd, Eds; ACS Symposium Series 1312; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2022; pp 145-156. DOI: 10.1021/bk-2022-1428.ch009

  4. “The Impacts of the Molecular Education and Research Consortium in Undergraduate Computational Chemistry on the Careers of Women in Computational Chemistry” Kelly Anderson, Sarah Arradondo, K. Aurelia Ball, Chrystal Bruce, Maria A. Gomez, Kedan He, Heidi Hendrickson, Lindsey Madison, Ashley Ringer McDonald, Maria C. Nagan, Caitlin E. Scott, Patricia Soto, Aime’e Tomlinson, Mychel Varner, and Carol Parish. J. Chem. Inf. Model. 2022, 62, 24, 6316–6322 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c00566

  5. “The Value of Peer Mentoring Networks for Developing Leaders and Inspiring Change.” Chrystal D. Bruce, Patricia M. Flatt, Sarah R. Kirk, Elizabeth Roberts-Kirchhoff, and Hala G. Schepmann J. Chem. Inf. Model. 2022, 62, 24, 6292–6296 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c00155.

  6. “Conversation among Physical Chemists: Strategies and Resources for Remote Teaching and Learning Catalyzed by a Global Pandemic.” Andrea N. Giordano, David Gardner, William W. Kennerly, Chrystal D. Bruce (corresponding author) J. Chem. Educ. 2021, 98, 7, 2228–2235

  7. “Molecular Dynamics Simulations in First-Semester General Chemistry: Visualizing Gas Particle Motion and Making Connections to Mathematical Gas Law Relationships.” C.D. Bruce. In Using Computational Methods To Teach Chemical Principles; Grushow, Alex and Reeves, M., Eds; ACS Symposium Series 1312; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2019; pp 11-19.

  8. "Factors affecting the number and type of student research products for chemistry and physics students at primarily undergraduate institutions: a case study" Birgit Mellis, Patricia Soto, Chrystal D. Bruce, Graciela Lacueva, Anne M. Wilson, Rasitha Jayasekare. PLOS One. 2018.

  9. “Molecular dynamics simulations of apo and holo forms of fatty acid binding protein 5 and cellular retinoic acid binding protein II reveal highly mobile protein, retinoic acid ligand, and water molecules” Nathanael H. Hunter, Blair C. Bakula , Chrystal D. Bruce. Journal of Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics. 2018, 36 (7), 1893-1907.

  10. “AzaHx, a novel fluorescent, DNA minor groove and G·C recognition element: Synthesis and DNA binding properties of a p-anisyl-4-aza-benzimidazole-pyrrole-imidazole (azaHx-PI) polyamide” Vijay Satam, Balaji Babu, Pravin Patil, Kimberly A. Brien, Kevin Olson, Mia Savagian, Megan Lee, Andrew Mepham, Laura Beth Jobe, John P. Bingham, Luke Pett, Shuo Wang, Maddi Ferrara, Chrystal D. Bruce, W. David Wilson, Moses Lee, John A. Hartley, Konstantinos Kiakos. Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry Letters. 2015, 25, 3681-3685.

  11. “Dynamic hydrogen bonding and DNA flexibility in minor groove binders: molecular dynamics simulation of the polyamide f-ImPyIm bound to the Mlu1 (MCB) sequence 5'-ACGCGT-3' in 2:1 motif” Chrystal D. Bruce,* Maddi M. Ferrara, Julie L. Manka, Zachary S. Davis, and Janna Register. J Mol Recog., 2015,28, 325-337.

  12. “On the structure of water and chloride ion interactions with a peptide backbone in solution” Sebastian Busch, Luis Carlos Pardo, William B. O’Dell, Chrystal D. Bruce, Christian D. Lorenz and Sylvia E. McLain Phys.Chem. Chem. Phys., 2013,15, 21023.

  13. Water mediation essential to nucleation of b-turn formation in peptide folding Motifs. Sebastian Busch, Chrystal D. Bruce, Christina Redfield, Christian D. Lorenz, and Sylvia McLain Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2013, 52, 13091 –13095

  14. “Controlling the radical 5-exo-trig cyclization, and selective synthesis of seco-iso-cycloproylfurano[e]indoline (seco-iso-CFI) and seco-cycloprpylthiophene[e]indoline (seco-CTI) DNA alykylating subunit of the duocarmycins” Pravin Patil, Karalyne Cousins, Mallory Smith, Sarah Weiskamp, Maddi Ferrara, Chrystal D. Bruce, and Moses Lee. Tetrahedron Letters, 2013, 54, 4756-4759.

  15. “Beyond the Syllabus: Using the First Day of Class in Physical Chemistry as an Introduction to the Development of Macroscopic, Molecular-level, and Mathematical Models” Chrystal D. Bruce. Journal of Chemical Education, 2013, 90, 1180-1185.

  16. “Hx, a Novel Fluorescent, Minor Groove and Sequence Specific Recognition Element: Design, Synthesis, and DNA Binding Properties of p-Anisylbenzimidazole-imidazole/pyrrole-Containing Polyamides” Sameer Chavda, Yang Liu, Balaji Babu, Ryan Davis, Alan Sielaff, Jennifer Ruprich, Laura Westrate, Christopher Tronrud, Amanda Ferguson, Andrew Franks, Samuel Tzou, Chandler Adkins, Toni Rice, Hilary Mackay, Jerome Kluza, Sharjeel A Tahir, Shicai Lin, Konstantinos Kiakos, Chrystal D. Bruce, W. David Wilson, John A. Hartley, and Moses Lee. Biochemistry, 2011, 50 (15), pp 3127–3136.

  17. “Sequence specific and high affinity recognition of 5’-ACGCGT-3’ by rationally designed pyrrole-imidazole H-pin polyamides: Thermodynamic and structural studies” Hilary Mackay, Toni Brown, Peter B. Uthe, Laura Westrate, Alan Sielaff, Justin Jones, James P. Lajiness, Jerome Kluza, Caroline O’Hare, Binh Nguyen, Zach Davis, Chrystal D. Bruce, W. David Wilson, John A. Hartley, Moses Lee. Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry. 2008, 16, 9145-9153.

  18. “Modifying the N-Terminus of Polyamides: PyImPyIm has Improved Sequence Specificity over f-ImPyIm” Toni Brown, Hilary Mackay, Mark Turlington, Arden Sutterfield, Traci Smith, Alan Sielaff, Laura Westrate, Chrystal D. Bruce, Jerome Kluza, Caroline O'Hare, Binh Nguyen, W. David Wilson, John A. Hartley, Moses Lee. Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry. 2008, 16, 5266-5276.

  19. “Book Review: Kitchen Chemistry by Ted Lister, with Heston Blumenthal” Bruce, Chrystal D. Journal of Chemical Education 2007, 84, 41

  20. “Physical and Structural Basis for the Strong Interactions of the -ImPy-Central Pairing Motif in the Polyamide, f-ImPyIm” Karen L. Buchmueller, Suzanna L. Bailey, David A. Matthews, Zarmeen T. Taherbhai, Janna K. Register, Zachary S. Davis, Chrystal D. Bruce, Binh Nguyen, W. David Wilson, Caroline O’Hare, John A. Hartley and Moses Lee. Biochemistry 2006, 45, 13551-13565.

  21. Bruce, Chrystal D.; Bliem, Carribeth L.; Papanikolas, John P.; ‘Partial derivatives: Are you kidding?’ - Teaching thermodynamics using Virtual Substance. In Advances in Teaching Physical Chemistry; Ellison, M.; Schoolcraft, T., Eds; ACS Symposium Series 973; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2006; pp 194-206.

  22. “Molecular Dynamics Simulation Of Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate: The Behavior of Water”, Chrystal D. Bruce, Max L. Berkowitz, Lalith L. Perera, and Malcolm D.E. Forbes, Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 2002, 106, 10902.

  23. “A Molecular Dynamics Simulation Of Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Micelle in Water: Micellar Structural Characteristics and Counterion Distribution”, Chrystal D. Bruce, Max L. Berkowitz, Lalith L. Perera, and Malcolm D.E. Forbes, Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 2002, 106, 3788.

  24. “Metal Binding Studies with Macrocyclic Hexathioethers: Transition Metal Complexes of 22S6 and 20S6”, Gregory J. Grant, Christopher G. Brandow, Chrystal Williams Bruce, Mark A. Bryant, Rebecca M. Kirk, Sabrina D. Lee, Kerry L. Robinson, Larry F. Mehne, Journal of Heterocyclic Chemistry, 2001, 38,1281.

  1. “The Correlation of Physical Properties of Organic Molecules with Computed Molecular Surface Areas”, Robert C. Mebane, Shannon A. Schanley, Thomas R. Rybolt, and Chrystal D. Bruce, Journal of Chemical Education, 1999, 76, 688.

  2. “Two-Surface Virial Analysis of Alkane Adsorption on Carbopack C with and without Hydrogen Treatment”, Chrystal D. Bruce, Thomas R. Rybolt, Howard E. Thomas, Tara E. Agnew, and Brandon S. Davis, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 1997, 194, 448.

  1. “Correlation of Critical Properties with Computed Molecular Surface Area for 11 Homologous Series of 118 Organic Compounds”, Robert C. Mebane, Chrystal D. Williams, Thomas R. Rybolt, Fluid Phase Equilibria, 1996, 124, 111.

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