Profile
Brian N. Dominy
Chemistry
Associate Dean
Division of Undergraduate Learning
Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry
864-656-3835
Hunter Hall 367 [Office]
Educational Background
B.S., Computational Biology, Carnegie Mellon University
Ph.D., Biophysics, The Scripps Research Institute
Postdoctoral Fellow, Biophysics, Harvard University
Profile/About Me
Dr. Dominy earned a B.S. in Biological Sciences with a Computer Science track and a Chemistry minor from Carnegie Mellon University, a Ph.D. focusing on Computational Biophysics at The Scripps Research Institute, and was a Ruth L. Kirschstein Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University prior to joining the faculty of the Department of Chemistry at Clemson University in 2005. He is a computational biophysical chemist and received an NSF CAREER award in 2010 for his research in the development and application of computational models to study the physiochemical driving forces underlying biomolecular function and evolution. Through his research program, Dr. Dominy has been privileged to mentor 10 outstanding doctoral graduates and 3 outstanding master's graduates.
His service responsibilities as a faculty member have focused significantly on the development and assessment of academic programs at the Departmental, College, and University levels at Clemson. From 2011-2016, Dr. Dominy served as the director of undergraduate studies and chair of the curriculum committee within Clemson's Department of Chemistry. From 2016-2018, Dr. Dominy was appointed as the interim associate dean for academic affairs supporting both graduate and undergraduate studies in the newly formed College of Science. From 2018-2024, Dr. Dominy served as the associate dean for academic policy and program effectiveness in Clemson University's Graduate School. Since January of 2024, Dr. Dominy has served as the associate dean for undergraduate engagement and curriculum development in Clemson University's Division of Undergraduate Learning.
Research Interests
Dr. Dominy's research involves the development and application of molecular mechanics and bioinformatics techniques to explore the physical chemical basis of biological phenomena at the molecular level. This has included leveraging techniques for tracking the communication of classical information, which is foundational to biology and is apparent across multiple scales from the molecular to the biosphere. The group focuses on applications relevant to medicine, including drug design and the biomolecular evolution of drug targets (i.e. drug resistance).
Courses Taught
CH 3300, Introduction to Physical Chemistry, F05, F06, F07, F08, F09, F10, F11, F12,
F13, F14, F15, F16, F17, F18, F19, F20, F21, F22, F23
CH 8600, Chemical Biology, S07, S08, S10, S15
CH 3310, Physical Chemistry (Thermodynamics), S09
CH 4350/6350, Atomic and Molecular Structure (Advanced Quantum Mechanics), S11
CH 3600, Chemical Biology, S12, S13, S14, S17
CH 8340, Statistical Mechanics, S16
CH 9300, Special Topics in Physical Chemistry, S21
Honors and Awards
Elected to the Executive Committee of the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools (2022)
Outstanding Advisor Award in Chemistry (2021)
Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society (2017)
Clemson University, College of Science Student Advocate Award (2017)
Clemson University Board of Trustees Faculty Excellence Award (2011)
NSF CAREER Award (2010-2015)
Clemson University Research Grant, Clemson University (2007)
Outreach
Judging Coordinator for the South Carolina Junior Academy of Science Annual Meeting (2018 - Present)
Judge for the South Carolina Junior Academy of Science (2009 - Present)
Proposal Review Committee Member for the National Academy of Sciences (2019 - Present)
