Dr. Rony Khnayzer is an associate professor of chemistry in the Department of Natural Sciences and the founding chairperson of the Department of Liberal Education.

He holds a PhD from the Department of Chemistry and Center for Photochemical Sciences at Bowling Green State University. During his undergraduate studies at the American University of Beirut, he received numerous academic awards, including the Dean’s Honor List. 

In his free time, he enjoys hiking, swimming and skiing.

Research Interests

Dr. Khnayzer’s research on photochemotherapy and solar energy storage has received international recognition through highlights on the cover pages of reputable academic journals. He is the recipient of many local and international research awards. He is an active member of the American Chemical Society (ACS) and the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC).

Selected Publications

1. Mehanna, S.; Mansour, N.; Daher, C. F.; Elias, M. G.; Daher, C. F.; Khnayzer R. S.* “Drug-free phototherapy of superficial tumors: White light at the end of the tunnel.” Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology, 2021, 224, 112324.38. 38
2. Mehanna, S.; Bodman-Smith, K.; Daher, C. F. and Khnayzer, R. S.* “Rapid quantification of ruthenium(II) polypyridyl anti-cancer drugs using a selective ligand dissociation LC-MS/MS method..” Analytical Methods, 2020, 12, 4517-4525.
3. Mehanna, S.; Mansour, N.; Audi, H.; Bodman-Smith, K.; Mroueh,  M. A.; Taleb, R. I.; Daher, C. F. and Khnayzer, R. S.* “Enhanced cellular uptake and photochemotherapeutic potential of a lipophilic strained Ru(II) polypyridyl complex.” RSC Advances, 2019, 9, 17254 – 17265.
4. Mansour, N.; Mehanna, S.; Taleb, R. I.; Mroueh, M.; Bodman‐Smith, K.; El-Sibai, M.; Daher, C. F.; Khnayzer, R. S.* “Photoactivatable Ru(II) Complex Bearing 2,9-Diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline: Unusual Photochemistry and Significant Potency on Cisplatin-Resistant Cell Lines.” Eur. J. Inorg. Chem., 2018, 22, 2524-2532.
5. Al Hageh, C.; Al Assaad, M.; El Masri, Z.; Samaan, N.; El-Sibai, M.; Khalil, C.; and Khnayzer, R. S.;* “A long-lived cuprous bis-phenanthroline complex for the photodynamic therapy of cancer.” Dalton Trans. 2018, 47, 4959-4967.
6. Audi, H.; Azar, A.; Mahjoub, H. Farhat, S.; El-Masri, Z.; El-Sibai, M.; Abi-Habib, R.; and Khnayzer, R. S.* “Cytotoxicity modulation of ruthenium(II) tris-bathophenanthroline complexes with systematically varied charge.” J. Photochem. Photobiol. A, 2018, 351, 59–68.
7. Azar, A.; Audi, H.; Farhat, S.; El-Sibai, M.; Abi-Habib, R. J.; and Khnayzer, R. S.* “Phototoxicity of strained Ru(II) complexes: is it the metal complex or the dissociating ligand?” Dalton Trans., 2017, 46, 11529–11532.

Click here for the full list of publications.

Academic Degrees

• PhD in Photochemical Sciences, 2013, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, USA.
• BS with high distinction, 2008, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.