Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Chemistry, University of Florida, 2025
  • B.A., Chemistry, McDaniel College, 2019
Licenses & Certifications
  • Good Clinical Practices (GCP) in Medical Device Clinical Investigations
Academic Appointments
  • Undergraduate Research Mentor, Chemistry, University of Florida, 2023-2025
  • Committee Member - Chemical-Biology Interface, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, 2023-2025
  • Biohazardous Waste Lab Manager, Chemistry, University of Florida. 2021-2025
  • LC/MS Instrument Lab Manager, Chemistry, University of Florida, 2020-2025
  • Graduate Recruitment Ambassador, Chemistry, University of Florida, 2020-2025
  • Teaching Assistant, Chemistry, University of Florida, 2019-2022
  • Teaching Assistant, Chemistry, McDaniel College, 2017-2019
  • Tutor, Chemistry, McDaniel College, 2017-2019
Professional Honors
  • Univ. of FL Office of Research Graduate Student Travel Grant (2025)
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) of the National Institute of Health (NIH) Diversity Grant Scholar Awardee: R35GM142574 (2023-2025)
  • ACS Division of Biological Chemistry Travel Award (2024)
  • Univ. of FL College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Travel Grant (2024)
  • William R. & Arlene F. Ruegamer Scholarship for Overall Excellence in Graduate Biochemistry Research (2023)
  • American Society of Pharmacognosy President’s Travel Grant (2022)
  • University of FL. Women’s Club Graduate Scholarship (2021)
  • Phi Beta Kappa, National Historic Honors Society (2019)
  • The Janus Yentsch Ellenburg '42 Scholarship for Women in Chemistry (2019)
  • McDaniel College Undergraduate Creativity Grant (2018)
  • Psi Chi, International Honors Society in Psychology (2018)
  • The H. Samuel Case and Susan Snodgrass Case Award for Excellence in Scholarly Research (2018)
  • Beta Beta Beta, National Biology Honors Society (2017)
  • Gamma Sigma Epsilon, National Chemistry Honors Society (2017)
Professional Affiliations
  • Household and Commercial Products Association (HPCA)
  • American Society of Pharmacognosy (ASP)
  • American Chemical Society (ACS)

Dr. Caitlin McCadden is a multidisciplinary scientist with expertise in natural product chemistry, molecular biology, bioanalytical chemistry, and biocatalysis. She has extensive experience in heterologous expression, structural elucidation, protein engineering, high-throughput screening, and natural product biosynthesis. Her research combined experimental approaches with bioinformatics and computational biology to discover first-in-class bacterial enzymes with evolutionary significance. At Exponent, Dr. McCadden focuses on regulatory support for pesticide products under EPA's Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), preparing registration packages and guiding clients through complex federal and state compliance requirements. Her diverse background and ability to manage complex research projects enable her to deliver innovative solutions that integrate rigorous science with regulatory strategy.

Dr. McCadden's recent work includes the discovery and characterization of novel bacterial enzymes and natural products, resulting in publications in Nature Communications, ACS Catalysis, and Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry. During her doctoral research, she leveraged computational biology, enzyme characterization, and advanced analytical techniques, including LC/MS, LC/MS/MS, NMR, and chromatography, to understand how nature catalyzes complex chemical reactions and evolves over time. She has been awarded NIH Supplemental Graduate Training Grant, multiple departmental scholarships for research excellence, and presented at national conferences. Additionally, she developed heterologous expression platforms to expand chemical diversity and investigate green catalysis methods. Her prior industry experience includes optimizing extraction processes and authoring SOPs for regulatory compliance in the cannabis sector. By combining deep technical expertise with a collaborative approach, Dr. McCadden helps clients translate complex scientific data into practical strategies for successful product registration.