Chemistry Ph.D. Degrees Awarded 2009-2000

2009

Kuppuswamy Arumugam (Assistant Professor  at St. Bonaventure University, New York)
"A Convergent Approach for Synthesis of Group 10 Linear Multimetallic Dithiolene Complexes"
Research Advisor: J. Donahue (September 2009)

Sriram Gopal Naraharisetty [Res. Assoc., ACRHEM, University of Hyderabad, Gachi Bowli Hyderabad]
"Novel Approaches in Dual Frequency 2DIR Spectroscopy"
Research Advisor: I. Rubstov

Kai-For Mo [Postdoc with Geert-Jan Boons at the University of Georgia, Athens]
"Synthesis of a Small Library of Linear and Branched b-(1->3)-D-Glucans: Octasaccharide to Hexadecasaccharide"
Research Advisor: H. Ensley

Kalpana Shankar [Research Chemist, Abbvie Chemical, Chicago, IL]
"Ligand-Ligand Triplet Energy Transfer in Tetrametallic and Monometallic Ru(II) Terpyridyl Oligo (Phenylene-Vinylene) Complexes and Synthesis and Photophysics of Tolyl Terpyridyl Pt(II) Complexes"
Research Advisor: R. Schmehl

Hong Shen [Postdoc at University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Pharmacy]
"Cleavage of O/S-Glucosides by Glycoprotein b-Glucosidase"
Research Advisor: L. Byers

Kothanda Rama Pichaandi [Postdoc with Fred Hawthorne at the University of Missouri]
"Synthesis of Strained Ring Compounds: Precursors Disilyne via Molecular Beam Method"
Research Advisor: M. Fink

2008

Arun Narayan [Georgia Pacific Chemical, Georgia]
"Laser Assisted Formation of Carbon Toroids and Carbon Tubular Constructs"
Research Advisor: B. Koplitz

Srivathsa Vaidya [National Chemical Lab, Pune, India]
"Chemical Vapor Sensing, Luminescence pH Sensing, Solvatochromism and Photoisomerization of Phenylene-Vinylene Derivatised Terpyridine Molecules"
Research Advisor: R. Schmehl

Lucinda Pringle [Stennis Space Center, Mississippi]
"Cl, H, and D Photofragment Studies"
Research Advisor: B. Koplitz

2007

Yuriy Sereda
"Interaction of Tunneling Systems"
Research Advisor: A. Burins

Emily Golden ( Asst. Professor, Germanna Community College, Virginia)
"Characterization of the Active Site & Mechanism Sweet Almond b-Glucosidase"
Research Advisor: L. Byers

Robert Combs [Hollyfrontier (Oil Refining & Logistics) Company, Artesia, New Mexico]
"Laser Pulse Duration and Electric Field Effects in the Pulsed Laser Deposition of Titanium Carbide"
Research Advisor: B. Koplitz

Kevin Simpson
"Coordination Chemistry of Lanthanide Metals with Functionalize Carboxylic Acids"
Research Advisor: J. T. Mague

Florastina Payton (Assistant Professor at Xavier University in New Orleans)
"The Synthesis of Novel Anticancer Agents Targeting the PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway"
Research Advisor: W. Alworth

Carolyn S. Reid (Assistant Professor, University of Mount Union)
"Methodology Studies on the Allylation of Organic Compounds"
Research Advisor: C. J. Li

2005

Liang Chen
"Water-Compatible Reaction of SP C-H Bonds"
Research Advisor: C. J. Li

Patrick Sheridan  (Associate Professor, Georgetown College, KY)
"Toward the Total Synthesis of Cinncassiol D1 - A Novel Biologically Active Diterpene"
Research Advisor: H. Ensley

Iliana Medina-Ramirez (Professor of Chemistry, Universidad Autonoma de Aguascalientes)
"Chalcopyrite CVD Precursors Containing Silylated Ligands"
Research Advisor: M. Fink

Michael Johnson
"Applying Velocity Constraints to the Laser Spectroscopy of D and Cl Atom Photodissociation Products"
Research Advisor: B. Koplitz

Lakshmi Kaanumalle
"Controlling Photochemical Reactions Through Confined Spaces and Cations"
Research Advisor: V. Ramamurthy

Steven Michael Simpson
"Laser Interactions with Metal-doped Polymer Thin Films: Creating Metallic Interlayers"
Research Advisor: B. Koplitz

Arunkumar Natarajan
"Selectivity in Organic Photochemical Reactions Within Zeolites and In The Crystalline State"
Research Advisor: V. Ramamurthy

2004

Catherine L. Higgins [Research Program Director, Gulf Coast Consortia]
"Unfolding and Stability Properties of the [2Fe-2S] Ferredoxins from the Hyperthermophilic Bacterium Aquifex Aeolics"
Research Advisor: Pernilla Wittung-Stafshede

Xianyong Wang [Technical Director, Hanson Group, LLC, Atlanta, GA]
"Oligo(phenylene-vinylene)Terpyridine Ligands and Their Ru(II), Pt(II) and Zn(II) Complex Systems: Synthesis, Photophysical and Photochemical Properties"
Research Advisor: R. H. Schmehl

James Mellot
"Formation Kinetics and Supercritical Growth of Self-Assembled Monolayers"
Research Advisor: D. Schwartz

Xiaofan Yang
"Synthesis of Multi-substitute Tetrahydropyrans and Thiacyclohexanes via Prins Cyclization and Its Application Towards Synthesis of Epicalyxin F and Calyxin I"
Research Advisor: C. J. Li

2003

David Odanga Apiyo [Senior Post-Doctoral Fellow, USDA Pullman, WA]
"The Role of the Cofactors in Folding of Desulfovibrio Desulfuricans Flavodoxin and Desulfoferrodoxin (DFX)"
Research Advisor: Pernilla Wittung-Stafshede

Sivaguru Jayaraman [Assistant Professor, North Dakota State University]
"Selective Photo-Transformations in Confined Media"
Research Advisor: V. Ramamurthy

Robert Boyle [Law Student, University of Colorado]
"The Interactions of Palladium(0) Complexes with Silanes"
Research Advisor: Mark Fink

Charlene Keh
"Development of New Methodology in Environmental Benign Solvents"
Research Advisor: C. J. Li

Grigor Bantchev [Post, doc, Russo Group, Louisiana State University]
"An Interfacial Protein Gel on B-Casein: Study of the Rheology and Nanostructure"
Research Advisor: Dan Schwartz

Keith Ponchot
"The Influences of Zeolite Environment on the Selectivity of Photoreactions"
Research Advisor: Harry Ensley

2002

Matthewos Eshete [Post Doc, Agris Group, NC State University, Raleigh, NC]
"Binding of Xenoestrogen Ligands to Estrogen Receptors and Effect of Xenoestrogens on the Binding of Estrogen Receptors to DNA Sequences"
Research Advisor: William Alworth

Irina Pozdnyakova [Post Doc at Yale University]
"Folding of Azurin: A Copper-Binding B-Barrel Protein"
Research Advisor: Dr. Pernilla Wittung-Stafshede

Sripathy Venkatraman [Research Scientist at Albany Molecular]
"Aqueous Metal-Mediated Reactions and Its Natural Product Synthesis"
Research Advisor: Dr. C. J. Li

Ganapathy S. Viswanathan [Research Scientist at Bordon Chemical Company, Louisville, KY]
"Lewis Acid Catalyzed Coupling and Cyclization Reaction to Synthesize Compounds of Biological Interests"
Research Advisor: Dr. C. J. Li

Smriti Koodanjeri [Science Faculty, Flintridge Preparatory School, CA]
"Controlling Photochemical Reactions Through Well Structural Hosts"
Research Advisor: Dr. V. Ramamurthy

Geoff Gomlak [Principle Payload Test Engineer, Ball Aerospace, Broomfield, CO]
"PLD of Hard Materials and Solar Cells"
Research Advisor: Dr. B. Koplitz

Jayaramachandran Shailaja [Post-Doc, Gin Group, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO]
"Selective Photo-Transformations in Constrained Media and Theoretical Investigationof the Excited State Nature of Acetophenones"
Research Advisor: Dr. V. Ramamurthy

2001

Xiaogang Hua
"Metal Mediated Organic Reactions in Aqueous Media & Their Applications in Total Synthesis of Natural Products"
Research Advisor: Dr. C. J. Li

John Haberman [Student at Tulane Law School, New Orleans, LA]
"Reactions in Alternative Media"
Research Advisor: Dr. C. J. Li

Lakshminarasi Pranatharthiharan [Senior Analytical Chemist, 3M Drug Delivery Systems]
"Photochemical Reactions in Zeolites-Effect of Acidity, Confinement and Non-bonding Interactions"
Research Advisor: Dr. V. Ramamurthy

Xiaodong Zhang [Instrument Specialist, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA]
"Extending Velocity-Aligned Doppler Spectrocopy with Applications to the Photolysis of 2-Iodopropane and Hydrogen Selenidine"
Research Advisor: Dr. B. Koplitz

Ann-Margret Andersson [Research Scientist, Johnson and Johnson, NJ]
"Redox Behavior and Electrogenerated Chemiluminescence of Transition Metal Complexes in Mesoporous Films"
Research Advisor: Dr. R. Schmehl

Yue-Meng [Research Scientist, H&S Chemical Company, Cincinnati, OH]
"Aqueous Metal Mediated Reactions and Their Applications in Organic Syntheses"
Research Advisor: Dr. C. J. Li

Lawrence Baldwin [NAVAIR, China Lake, CA]
"Palladium and Platinum Complexes in Arylation and Silicone Forming Reactions"
Research Advisor: Dr. M. Fink

Rajendram V. Rajnarayanan [Post-Doc, Pattabiraman, Group, Georgetown Medical Center, Washing, DC]
"Effect of Natural and Synthetic Chemicals on Bacterial Cytochrome P450 Expression and Synthesis of Potential Cancer Chemopreventive Drugs"
Research Advisor: Dr. W. Alworth

Sundarajan Uppili [Post-Doc, Allara Group, Pennsylvania State University]
"Selectivity in Organic Photochemical Reactions Within Zeolite Matrices"
Research Advisor: Dr. V. Ramamurthy

2000

Michael Kelly
"Pulsed Laser Deposition of Thin Films: Controlling Neutral Mixtures"
Research Advisor: Brent Koplitz

Federico Zahariev [Post Doc, Woo Group, University of Ottawa, Canada]
"Approaches to Excited-State Density Functional Theory"
Research Advisor: Mel Levy

Abraham Joy [Post Doc Schuster Group GaTech, Post Doc New Jersey Center for Biomaterials]
"Studies on Asymmetric Photoreactions in Zeolites"
Research Advisor: V. Ramamurthy

Manoj Warrier [Post-Doc Timpermann Group, West Virginia University]
"Selectivity in Photochemical Reactions Carried Out Within Zeolites"
Research Advisor: V. Ramamurthy

Xiaojie Yao [Research Associate, Duke University with Robert Lefkowitz]
"Inhibition of Glucosidases"
Research Advisor: L Byers

Christopher W. Riley
"Induction Studies of the P450 Gene in Bacillus Megaterium"
Research Advisor: W. L. Alworth

Georgi Nikov
"Interactions of Xenoestrogens with Human Estrogen Receptors"
"Designs and Synthesis of Mechanism-Based Inhibitors of Cytochrome P450 Enzymes"
Research Advisor: W. L. Alworth

Nicholette Prevost
"Photochemical & PhotoPhysical Studies of Organic Molecules in Zeolites: Energy & Electron Transfer"
Res Research Advisor: V. Ramamurthy

Ivo Doudevski [NIH Post-Doctoral Fellow, Regan Group, Yale University School of Medicine]
"Kinetic Mechanisms of Self-Assembled Monolayer Formation and Desorption"
Research Advisor: D. Schwartz

Xiaogang Hua
"Metal Mediated Organic Reactions in Aqueous Media & Their Applications in Total Synthesis of Natural Products"
Research Advisor: C. J. Li

Ani Ivanova
"Brewster Angle Microscopy Studies of Langmuir Monolayers Under Flow"
Research Advisor: D. Schwartz