Rate My Professor Karim Abdelhay

Dr. Karim Abdelhay serves as Associate Professor and interim Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Forensic Science at Eastern Kentucky University, where he joined the faculty in August 2018. He holds a Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Sciences (B.Pharm) from Alexandria University in Egypt and a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Auburn University. His academic journey is deeply influenced by his family background in pharmacy, with his father serving as a Professor of Pharmaceutical Analytical Chemistry, his mother as a hospital pharmacist, and both sisters as pharmacists; his wife is also a clinical and retail pharmacist.

Dr. Abdelhay's research centers on Forensic Science and Analytical Chemistry. He develops analytical methodologies essential for differentiating regioisomeric and isobaric compounds structurally related to designer drugs of abuse, encompassing amphetamine, piperazine, synthetic cannabinoid, and bath salts classes. This work contributes to greater analytical specificity by evaluating likely imposter molecules in drug identification. He also investigates the synthesis of these designer drugs, which create analytical challenges. Furthermore, Dr. Abdelhay works on developing and validating analytical methods for pharmaceuticals and drugs in pure forms, pharmaceutical preparations, and biological fluids. As a mentor, he guides undergraduate and graduate students in research projects, including spectroscopic and chromatographic studies on hormone and metabolic modulators used in sports doping, as well as analyses of legal highs and other substances of forensic interest. His leadership as interim department chair reflects trust from administration and colleagues, coinciding with growth in the forensic science program's enrollments. The department, part of the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Chemistry and Forensic Science with various concentrations.