Rate My Professor Andrew Piefer

Andrew J. Piefer is Professor and Chair of the Chemistry Department at Hartwick College. He earned a B.S. in chemistry from Dickinson College and a Ph.D. in chemistry from New Mexico State University. Prior to his appointment at Hartwick in 2007, Piefer worked as a research associate at the University of Pennsylvania, where he conducted research in virology, and served as a visiting assistant professor at Haverford College. Over his tenure at Hartwick, he has advanced from assistant professor to associate professor and now full professor, while also assuming the role of department chair. Additionally, Piefer directs the College's Health Professions Advisory Program, providing guidance to students pursuing careers in medicine, dentistry, and other health professions.

Piefer's areas of expertise include biochemistry and virology, with a focus on biomolecular interactions—particularly those involving viral and host cell proteins and nucleic acids—as well as tissue culture techniques, recombinant protein expression and purification, and processes of virus assembly and budding. He teaches biochemistry and chemistry courses and actively mentors undergraduate students in research projects spanning microbiology and biochemistry. Notable student collaborations have resulted in presentations at national conferences, such as abstracts on "Green Tea and Tart Cherry Juice Inhibition of Xanthine Oxidase" in 2025 and "Pull-down analysis of MS2 L-protein" in 2024 at Journal of Biological Chemistry meetings, as well as a publication examining bacteria present on hops. In 2019, Piefer received Hartwick College's Outstanding Employee Award for his exceptional support of the Alumni Association and broader service contributions. He celebrated fifteen years of service in 2023, participates in the Faculty Lecture Series, serves on academic committees, and plays trumpet in the Hartwick College Wind Ensemble.