Dr. Kevin O'Halloran
Professor of Chemistry
Contact Information
About
Biography
Dr. Kevin O’Halloran joined GGC because of the college’s commitment to active learning in the classroom, high-quality mentoring and authentic laboratory experiments. He enjoys teaching chemistry because it is an opportunity to give students the knowledge that they need to be successful in college and their careers. He is the faculty advisor to GGC’s Pharmacy Club and Chess Club. He earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from Emory University and was awarded for his teaching and research accomplishments. His doctoral research involves synthesis and characterization of metal-oxo clusters and transition metal complexes in several contexts. His undergraduate research involves synthesis and characterization of organic and organometallic compounds.
Education
- Doctorate – chemistry – Emory University
- Bachelor's – chemistry – University of Kansas
Academic Interests
- Scholarship of teaching and learning
- Electrochemical production of hydrogen fuel
- Metal-oxo clusters
Distinctions
- 2009–2010 Achievement Rewards for College Scientists fellowship from the ARCS Foundation
- 2007 Outstanding teaching assistant award, Emory University
Publications
- Freer, W. H.; O’Halloran, K. P.; Hart, Z.; Alvarez-Pugliese, C. E.; Botte, G. G.; Kohl, P. A. Ammonia Production from Pulsed Electrolysis of Amino Acids. J. Appl. Electrochem. 2025. DOI: 10.1007/s10800-025-02344-8.
- Chu, M.; Wang, Y.; Xin, J.; O’Halloran, K. P.; Liu, Y.; Song, D.; Yang, G.; Ma, H.; Pang, H.; Wang, X. Fe-Co-Fe Prussian blue analogues loaded nitrogen doped carbon quantum dots for effective epinephrine detection. Talanta. 2025, 286, 127459.
- Wang, Y.; Wang, X.; Chu, M.; Xin, J.; Jin, Z.; Ma, H.; O’Halloran, K. P.; Wang, Y.; Pang, H.; Yang, G. Development of CuFe2O4 microspheres/carbon sheets composite materials as a sensitive electrochemical sensor for determination of bisphenol A. Microchim. Acta. 2024, 191, article 743.
- Guo, Y.; O’Halloran, K. P.; Eaker, R. M.; Anfuso, C. L.; Kirberger, M.; Gluick, T. Affective Elements of the Student Experience that Contribute to Withdrawal Rates in the General Chemistry Sequence: A Multimethod Study. J. Chem. Educ. 2022, 99 (6), 2217-2230.
- Zhu, D.; Chu, M.; Xin, J.; Wang, X.; O’Halloran, K. P.; Ma, H.; Pang, H.; Tan, L.; Yang, G. Hierarchical and hollow boron/nitrogen co-doped yolk-shell mesoporous carbon nanospheres attached to reduced graphene oxide with high sensing performance for the simultaneous detection of xanthine and guanosine. Sens. Actuators B Chem. 2021, 343, 130068.
- Zhang, L.; Li, S; O’Halloran, K. P.; Zhang, Z.; Ma, H.; Wang, X.; Tan, L.; Pang, H. A highly sensitive non-enzymatic ascorbic acid electrochemical sensor based on polyoxometalate/Tris(2,2’-bipyridine)ruthenium (II)/chitosan-palladium inorganic-organic self-assembled film. Colloids Surf. A Physicochem. Eng. Asp. 2021, 614, article 126184.
- O’Halloran, K. P.; Tangirala, S.; Sun, F.; Anagho, L. E.; Agbegha, G.; Runck, C.; Roth, D. and Erickson, A. H. An Experiential Report on the Thayer Method of Teaching across College-Level Chemistry, Biology, Math and Physics Courses. Ga. J. Sci. 2020, 78(2), Article 4.
- O’Halloran, K. P. Puzzle to Build Organic Molecules with Sticky Notes. J. Chem. Educ. 2019, 96(4), 725-728. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.8b00441.
- Chai, D.; Hou, Y.; O’Halloran, K. P.; Pang, H.; Ma, H.; Wang, G.; Wang, X. Enhancing Energy Storage via TEA-Dependent Controlled Syntheses: Two Series of Polyoxometalate-Based Inorganic-Organic Hybrids and their Supercapacitor Properties. ChemElectroChem. 2018, 5(22), 3443-3450.
- Li, S.; Zhang, L.; Lan, Y.; O’Halloran, K. P.; Ma, H.; Pang, H. Polyoxometalate-Encapsulated 20-Nuclear Silver-tetrazole Nanocage Frameworks as Highly Active Electrocatalysts for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction. Chem Comm. 2018, 54, 1964–1967.
- Xu, H.; Bai, Z.; Wang, G.; Tan, L.; O’Halloran, K. P.; Ma, H. Voltammetric Determination of Folic Acid at Physiological pH Values by Using a Glassy Carbon Electrode Modified with a Multilayer Composite Consisting of Polyoxometalate (H8P2Mo16V2O62) and Reduced Graphene Oxide and Prepared via Layer-By-Layer Self-Assembly and In-situ Photoreduction. Microchim. Acta. 2017. 184(11), 4295–4303.
- O’Halloran, K. P. Teaching Classes of Organic Compounds with a Sticky Note on Forehead Game. J. Chem. Educ. 2017, 94(12), 1929–1032. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.7b00165.