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Dr. Kempen received her bachelor of science degree in chemistry at St. Norbert College in 2019 and her PhD in organic chemistry at Purdue University in 2024. Her graduate research focused on the development of inhibitors for disease-driving kinases. Specifically, she was interested in using a Doebner-Povarov multicomponent reaction to form biologically-active small molecules. These compounds were potent protein kinase inhibitors and showed excellent activities against various cancer cell lines, as well as in mice models.

Dr. Kempen teaches organic chemistry, general chemistry, and junior seminar for chemistry and biochemistry majors. Her research at Loras College is in the area of medicinal chemistry, which is a hybrid of organic chemistry and biochemistry with a focus on pharmaceutical drug development. Specific research interests include the use of organic synthesis, particularly heterocycle formation, to form biologically-active small molecules, which are then tested for kinase inhibition and activities against inflammatory diseases.