Director
Brandie M. Ehrmann, Ph.D.
Caudill Laboratories 022 – Office
behrmann@email.unc.edu
919-962-6813
Dr. Brandie Ehrmann is a mass spectrometrist with expertise in ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry and complex mixture analysis. Dr. Ehrmann received her PhD. in Analytical Chemistry from Florida State University in Tallahassee, FL, in 2010. She worked for Dr. Alan Marshall, co-inventor of Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. Her research dissertation focused on crude oil analysis; specifically, emulsion formation, emulsion breaking, and asphaltene speciation. Dr. Ehrmann joined UNC & the Department of Chemistry in January 2015.
Research Associate 
Cristina Arciniega Caudill Laboratories 052 – Office cvarcini@unc.edu
919-962-0234
Cristina is an Ecuadorian scientist and engineer. She graduated from Universidad San Francisco de Quito with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering and from North Carolina State University with a Master of Science in Analytical Chemistry. During her master’s studies, she worked under the direction of Dr. David Muddiman, where she did ionization source development. She enjoys combining her engineering background with mass spectrometry to do research and find new ways to analyze chemical and biological samples. In our Core, Cristina leads our quantitative development projects.
Postdoctoral Associate 
Khoa Huan “Kyle” Nguyen
Caudill Laboratories 043 – Office
hknguyen@live.unc.edu
919-843-0120
Dr. Kyle Nguyen received his PhD in Analytical Chemistry in 2024 from UNC-Chapel Hill. His dissertation research, conducted in the lab of Prof. Mark Schoenfisch, involved studying drug-bacteria interactions using a wide array of analytical techniques. Kyle is currently leading our efforts to establish accurate extraction and quantification methods for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), and oxylipins.
Research Associate
Erin Tracy, MS, ABC-DA
Caudill Laboratories 043 – Office
ectracy@email.unc.edu
919-843-6016
Erin is a North Carolina native from Apex, NC. She graduated from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and from Virginia Commonwealth University with a Master of Science in Forensic Science. She worked as a drug analyst in Georgia and North Carolina crime laboratories for 10 years before coming to UNC to pursue applications of analytical chemistry at the intersection of public health and harm reduction.
Research Associate
Jalice Manso Caudill Laboratories 052 – Office
jalice@unc.edu
919-843-6016
Jalice joined IPRC in July 2024. She comes from a background in agrochemical and biotech analytical method development and testing. With more than 15 years of experience in industry, she is excited to join UNC and the opioid lab testing the components of street drugs. She obtained her master’s in science from the University of Delaware applying chemometrics to complex metabolite mixtures from pesticides using liquid chromatography hyphenated to GCMS and FTIR. She graduated from the University of Puerto Rico as a chemist and since has been applying herself to learning not just chemistry but all the hobbies.
Departmental/College Support:
Jim Cahoon, Ph.D. Professor of Chemistry, Departmental Chair
Kelly Giovanello, Senior Associate Dean for Research and Innovation in the College of Arts and Sciences
Ralph House, Ph.D. Associate Chair for Research, Department of Chemistry
Wes Winkleman, Associate Chair for Business Administration