Dr. Paikoff received her PhD in chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley and did a post-doc at Duke Cancer Center. Her main scientific focus has been bio-organic and medicinal chemistry. Prior to coming to FGCU Dr Paikoff worked as a program manager in the US Government in the areas of environmental sustainment and drug development. Dr Paikoff has written over 100 reports for the Hazardous Substance Database for the National Library of Medicine. Her current research interests are in the area of analysis of natural products with a specific focus on the development of sustainable process for manufacturing Shea Butter. Dr Paikoff is a member of Integrating Sustainability Across the Curriculum (ISAC) and is committed to helping students integrate chemical principles into everyday phenomena.