Emily Niemeyer received her PhD from State University of New York at Buffalo in 1998 and her BS from Ohio Northern University in 1993.

Honors

• Jesse E. Purdy Excellence in Scholarly and Creative Works Award (2022)
• Southwestern University Teaching Award (2020)
• Joe S. Mundy Award for Exemplary Service (2017)
• Distinguished Alumni Award, Elida High School (2014)
• Outstanding Texas Women in STEM Award from Girlstart (2013)
• Exemplary Teaching Award from the Board of Higher Education and Ministry of the United Methodist Church (2009-2010)
• Southwestern University Excellence in Academic Advising Award (2002-2003)

My research focuses on understanding factors affecting the production of phenolic compounds in plants. Most of my collaborative work with Southwestern students has involved herbs within the Lamiaceae family such as basil and lemon balm. For example, we have determined how factors such as cultivar, macronutrient fertilization, and plant maturity affect the phenolic composition and antioxidant properties of basil. We have also investigated differences in the phenolic profiles of medicinal and culinary plants spanning the Lamiaceae family. More recently, my research has also focused on the analysis of commercially-available plant-based products including açai nutritional supplements and matcha green teas.

Recent peer-reviewed publications (* denotes Southwestern University undergraduate co-author):

Lawson, Holly P.;* Aga, Mattigan F.;* Niemeyer, Emily D. Plant Maturity Differentially Affects the Phenolic Composition and Antioxidant Properties of Green Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) Cultivars. ACS Omega 2025, 10, 47535–47543 (this article is open access and may be viewed and downloaded here).

White, Haley M.;* Meyer, Bailey R.;* McCormack, Jared D.;* Lawson, Holly P.;* Niemeyer, Emily D. Comparison of Culinary and Ceremonial Matcha Green Teas: Relationship between Phytochemical Composition and Antioxidant Properties. J. Food Meas. Charact. 2025, 19, 7070–7079 (this article is open access and may be viewed and downloaded here).

Meyer, Bailey M.;* White, Haley M.;* McCormack, Jared D.;* Niemeyer, Emily D. Catechin Composition, Phenolic Content, and Antioxidant Properties of Commercially-Available Bagged, Gunpowder, and Matcha Green Teas. Plant Foods Hum. Nutr. 2023, 78, 662-669 (this article is open access and may be viewed and downloaded here).

Bajomo, Eunice M.;* Aing, Melanie S.;* Ford, Lucas S.;* Niemeyer, Emily D. Chemotyping of Commercially Available Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) Varieties: Cultivar and Morphotype Influence Phenolic Acid Composition and Antioxidant Properties. NFS Journal 2022, 26, 1-9 (this article is open access and may be viewed and downloaded here).

Destino, Joel F.; Gross, Erin M.; Niemeyer, Emily D.; Petrovic, Steven C. Hands-on Experiences for Remotely Taught Analytical Chemistry Laboratories. Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 2020, 413, 1237-1244 (this article is open access and may be viewed and downloaded here).

Ahn, Jiyoun;* Alford, Andie R.;* Niemeyer, Emily D. Variation in Phenolic Profiles and Antioxidant Properties among Medicinal and Culinary Herbs of the Lamiaceae Family. J. Food Meas. Charact. 2020, 14, 1720-1732. (a view-only version of this article may be accessed here).

McCance, Katherine; Weston, Timothy; Niemeyer, Emily. Classroom Observations to Characterize Active Learning Within Introductory Undergraduate Science Courses. J. Coll. Sci. Teach. 2020, 49, 10-15.

Wenzel, Thomas J.; Niemeyer, Emily D. Instituting a Group Component to a Final Exam. Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 2020, 412, 2697-2701. (this article is open access and may be viewed and downloaded here).

Earling, Mei;* Beadle, Triston;* Niemeyer, Emily D. Açai Berry (Euterpe oleracea) Dietary Supplements: Variations in Anthocyanin and Flavonoid Concentrations, Phenolic Contents, and Antioxidant Properties. Plant Foods Hum. Nutr. 2019, 74, 421-429 (a view-only version of this article may be found here).

Boneza, Maxime M.;* Niemeyer, Emily D. Cultivar Affects the Phenolic Composition and Antioxidant Properties of Commercially Available Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis L.) Varieties. Ind. Crops & Prod. 2018, 112, 783-789.

Niemeyer, Emily D.;^† Zewail-Foote, Maha^† Investigating the Influence of Gender on Student Perceptions of the Clicker in a Small Undergraduate General Chemistry Course. J. Chem. Ed. 2018, 95, 218-223. (^†co-first authors)

McCance, Katherine R.;* Flanigan, Patrick M.;* Quick, M. Montana; Niemeyer, Emily D. Influence of Plant Maturity on Anthocyanin Concentrations, Phenolic Composition, and Antioxidant Properties of 3 Purple Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) Cultivars. J. Food Comp. Anal. 2016, 53, 30–39.

Book contributions (* denotes Southwestern University undergraduate co-author):

González-Mederos, Angela; Niemeyer, D. Emily; Wenzel, Thomas J. “Semester-long projects in the analytical chemistry laboratory curriculum” In Active Learning in the Analytical Chemistry Curriculum, 2022, Kovarik, M.L., Robinson, J.K., Wenzel, T.J. (Eds.); ACS Symposium Series, American Chemistry Society: Washington, DC; chapter 14.

Niemeyer, Emily D.; Gesinski, Michael R. Increasing Student Persistence through Active Learning Pedagogies in the Chemistry Curriculum. In Equity and Inclusion in Higher Education, 2021, Rita Kumar and Brenda Refaei (Eds.); The University of Cincinnati Press: Cincinnati; 137-149.

McDowell, Derrica*; Niemeyer, Emily D. Factors Influencing the Production of Phenolic Compounds within Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), In Ocimum: An Overview, 2020, M. Blanchard (Ed.); Nova Science Publishers: New York; 85-120.

Niemeyer, Emily D. “The path to academia and motherhood: It takes a village” In Mom The Chemistry Professor: Personal Accounts and Advice from Chemistry Professors who are Mothers, 2018, 2^nd Edition, Cole, R., Marzabadi, C., Webster, G., Woznack, K. (Eds.); Springer International Publishing: Switzerland.

Recent national presentations (* denotes Southwestern University undergraduate co-author):

Hazen, Samantha J.;* Lawson, Holly P.;* Niemeyer, Emily D. “Comparison of phenolic composition, flavonoid content, and antioxidant properties among cacao nibs sourced from different origins” American Chemical Society National Meeting, San Diego, CA (2025)

Lawson, Holly P.;* Niemeyer, Emily D. “Plant maturity affects the phenolic composition and antioxidant properties of green basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) cultivars” American Chemical Society National Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

Lawson, Holly P.;* Niemeyer, Emily D. “Influence of cultivar and seed source on the phenolic composition and antioxidant properties of Monarda herbs” American Chemical Society National Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

Lawson, Holly P.;* Niemeyer, Emily D. “Influence of plant maturity on antioxidant properties and phenolic concentrations in three green basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) cultivars” American Chemical Society National Meeting, Indianapolis, IN (2023)

Niemeyer, Emily D. “Catalyzing new research opportunities at a primarily undergraduate institution using a CURE in analytical chemistry” Biennial Conference on Chemical Education, West Lafayette, IN (2022)

Hijazi, Rhoda M.;* Niemeyer, Emily D. “Phenolic contents and antioxidant properties of commercially available Aloe vera powder products” American Chemical Society National Meeting, San Diego, CA (2022)

McCormack, Jared D.;* Niemeyer, Emily D. “Variations in antioxidant properties among methanolic and aqueous extracts of green tea, ceremonial matcha, and culinary matcha” American Chemical Society National Meeting, San Diego, CA (2022)

Meyer, Bailey R.;* Niemeyer, Emily D. “Comparative study of the phenolic contents and antioxidant capacities of green tea, ceremonial matcha, and culinary matcha” American Chemical Society National Meeting, Philadelphia, PA (poster archived virtually due to meeting cancellation) (2020)

White, Haley M.;* Niemeyer, Emily D. “Phenolic content and antioxidant properties of hot water extracts from commercially available green tea and matcha” American Chemical Society National Meeting, Philadelphia, PA (poster archived virtually due to meeting cancellation) (2020)

McDowell, Derrica A.;* Niemeyer, Emily D. “Influence of plant maturity on antioxidant capacity and phenolic content within 3 cultivars of green basil (Ocimum basilicum L.)” American Chemical Society National Meeting, Philadelphia, PA (poster archived virtually due to meeting cancellation) (2020)

Bajomo, Eunice M.;* Ford, Lucas S.;* Aing, Melanie S.* Niemeyer, Emily D. “Variations in total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity in 22 commercially available basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) cultivars” American Chemical Society National Meeting, Orlando, FL (2019)

Ford, Lucas;* Armeriv, Andrea; Bilinski, Teresa; Niemeyer, Emily D. “Factors affecting the phenolic composition and antioxidant properties of green and purple basil: soil bacteria, herbivory, and drought stress” American Chemical Society National Meeting, Orlando, FL (2019)

Meyer, Robert J.;* Niemeyer, Emily D. “Phenolic content and antioxidant properties of fifteen commercially available basil essential oils” American Chemical Society National Meeting, Orlando, FL (2019)