Chemistry Ph.D. Degrees Awarded 2017-2010

2017

Kaiya Wang "Reactions and Protections Using Supramolecular Compartments"
Research Advisor: Bruce Gibb
November 14, 2017

Folasade Faulkner (Tulane University)
"METALLIZED POLYMERS: Exploration and Development of a Laser Engineered Metal Interlayer in Noble Metal-doped BTDA/ODA Polyimide Films"
Research Advisor: Brent Koplitz
August 31, 2017

Hong Zhang (Scientist, Brewer Science)
"The Design and Synthesis of Porphyrin Nanoparticles via Self-assembly with Macrocycles and Macromolecules"
Research Advisor: Janarthanan Jayawickramarajah
January 9, 2017

2016

Joel Leger (Research Associate, University of Washington in Seattle)
"The Automation of a Dual-Frequency 2DIR Spectrometer and Its Use in 5th-Order 2DIR"
Research Advisor: Igor Rubtsov
December 1, 2016

Arkady Kurnosov (Postdoc, University of Houston)
"Theoretical Investigation of Ultrafast Energy Transport in Polymer Chains"
Research Advisor: Alex Burin
August 4, 2016

Angelique Greene (Postdoc, Washington University in St. Louis)
"Neutral Diamagnetic Complexes of Tungsten (II): Computational Analysis, Synthesis, and their Misidentification in X-ray Crystallography"
Research Advisor: James Donahue
July 14, 2016

Xin Geng (Industrial Postdoc, Huahai US)
"New Chiral Aromatic Architectures"
Research Advisor: Robert Pascal
July 14, 2016

Mengyuan Zhu (LC-MS/MS Technologist, United Clinic Laboratory)
"Self-Assembly of Multi-chromophoric Nanostructured Materials"
Research Advisor: Janarthanan Jayawickramarajah
June 17, 2016

Cooper Battle (Assistant Professor, Willamette University)
"Development of Oligonucleotide and Host-Guest Based Supramolecular Sensors for Biological Applications"
Research Advisor: Janarthanan Jayawickramarjah
April 5, 2016

Elupula Ravinder (GPC Instrument Specialist, Tosoh Bioscience LLC)
"Synthesis and Characterization of Cyclic Polystyrene Using Copper-catalyzed Alkyne-azide Cycloaddition Coupling - Evaluation of Physical Properties and Optimization of Cyclization Conditions"
Research Advisor: Scott Grayson
January 22, 2016

Ted Shaner
"Synthesis and Characterization of Carboxylic Acid Functionalized Silicon Nanoparticles"
Research Advisor: Mark Fink
January 8, 2016

2015

Xiaoye Su (Scientist, Biogen)
"DNA Hybrid Nanosystems and Small Molecules for Micro RNA Detection, Drug Release and Protein Binding"
Research Advisor: Janan Jayawickramarajah
December 11, 2015

Yuxi Gu 
"Investigations of Silicon Nanoparticle based Hybrid Nanocomposites by Olefin Metathesis Polymerization"
Research Advisor: Mark Fink
November 23, 2015

Brittany Casey (Forensic Chemistry Technical Manager, Southwest Institute of Forensic Sciences)
"Branched Polymer Architectures Based on BIS-(Hydroxyethyl)Propionic Acid: The Synthesis and Characterization of Mass Spectrometry Calibrants and Polymeric Amphiphiles"
Research Advisor: Scott Grayson
October 9, 2015

Jie Zong (Postdoc, Penn State University)
"Unusual Crowded Organic Architectures"
Research Advisor: Robert Pascal
September 17, 2015

Natalia Rubtcova (Postdoc, University of Pennsylvania)
"Ballistic Energy Transport in Molecules Studied by Relaxation-assisted Two-dimensional Infrared Spectroscopy"
Research Advisor: Igor Rubtsov
August 19, 2015

Bing Shan (Postdoc, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill)
"Photoinduced Electron Transfer Systems for Generation of Strong
Reductants /Oxidants and Their Applications in Solar Fuel Generation"
Research Advisor: Russ Schmehl
June 29, 2015

Yuankai Yue (Postdoc, University of Houston, Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering)
"Study of Electron and Energy Transfer Modulation in Molecules Using Time-Resolved Vibrational Spectroscopy"
Research Advisor: Igor Rubtsov
May 21, 2015

Boyu Zhang (Scientst, Brewer Science)
"Star and Cyclic Shaped Macromolecular Architectures Prepared using Copper-Catalyzed Azide-Alkyne Cycloaddition: Synthesis, Purification and Characterization"
Research Advisor: Scott Grayson
April 20, 2015

2014

Tod Grusenmeyer (Postdoc, Tulane University)
"Spectroscopic Investigation of Intersystem Crossing, Electron Transfer, and Energy Transfer in Sn(IV), Re(I) and Ru(II) Complexes in Solution"
Research Advisor: R. Schmehl (December 2014)

Li Kuang
"Mechanochemical Synthesis, Characterization and Functionalization of Vinyl terminated Silicon Nanoparticles"
Research Advisor: M. Fink (November 2014)

Skylar Ferrara (Postdoc, Oregon Health & Science University)
"Synthesis, Structures, and Reactivity of Biologically Relevant Sulfur-Containing Copper(I) Complexes"
Research Advisor:  J. Donahue (September 2014)

Wei Shen (Res. Assistant, US Nano, Tampa, FL)
"Novel Chemistry using Molecular Beams"
Research Advisor:  M. Sulkes (September 2014)

Zejing Xu 
"Synthesis,Characterization and Functionalization of Silicon Nanoparticle based Hybrid Nanomaterials for Photovoltaic and Biological Applications"
Research Advisor:   Mark Fink (August 2014)

Miaomiao Xie
"Glycosidic Bonds, Making and Breaking"
Research Advisor:   L. Byers (May 2014)

2013

Gilbert Kosgei (Postdoc, Virginia Tech)
"Synthesis and Photophysical Characterization of Re(I) and Ru(II) Complexes:  Potential Optical Limiting Materials and Light Harvesting Systems"
Research Advisor:   R. Schmehl (December 2013)

Rajesh Shrestha
"Charge and Exciton Transport"
Research Advisor:   A. Burin (August 2013)

Nan Zhang
"Water soluble porphyrin based multichromophore arrays:  assembled on G-Quadruplexes and silicon nanoparticle scaffolds"
Research Advisor:   Janan Jayawickramarajah (November 2013)

Xiaozhu Chu
"Small Nolecule-linked DNA Oligonucleotides for Target Protein Recognition and Inhibition"
Research Advisor:  Janan Jayawickramarajah (October 2013)

John Leveritt (Postdoc, City College of New York)
"Charge Transfer in DNA:  Effects of Humidity and Molecular Vibrations on Detection and Rate of Hole Transport"
Research Advisor:   Alex Burin (June 2013)

Christopher Keating (Postdoc, Emory University)
"Molecular Dynamics of Sulfur-containing Compounds Using Vibrational Spectroscopy"
Research Advisor:  Igor Rubtsov (April 2013)

2012

Yong Yan (Postdoc, Princeton University)
"Metallo (W, Re, Pt) Dithiolene Complexes:  Synthesis, Crystallographic and Computational Characterization, Electro- and Photo-Chemical Properties"
Research Advisor:   J. Donahue (November 2012)

Upul Jayarathne [Postdoc, University of Chicago, Illinois]
"Reduction of CO2 to CO by Low-Valent Tungsten Complaints; Benchmark Compounds for Tungsten L1-Edge X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy and Synthesis, Structures and, IR Spectroscopy of Iron Dithiolene Nitrosyl Complex)
Research Advisor:  J. Donahue (October 2012)

Amelia Neuberger (Visiting Assistant. Professor, Loyola University, New Orleans, LA)
"Photophysical Properties and Photoredox Reactions of Some Transition Metal Complexes"
Research Advisor:  R. Schmehl (October 2012)

Tapas Purkait (Postdoc, University of Alberta, Canada)
"Functionalization of the Mechanochemically Passivated Germanium Nanoparticles via "Click" Chemistry"
Research Advisor:  M. Fink (August 2012)

Michael J. Reale (Postdoc Research Associate at Advenchen Laboratories, LLC, Moorpark, CA)
"A Copnvergent Synthesis of B-(1-> 3)-D-Oligosaccharides"
Research Advisor:  H. Ensley (July 2012)

Zhiwei Lin (UltraFast Systems, Florida)
"Vibrational Energy Transport and Electron Transfer in Molecules Investigate by Nonlinear Vibrational Spectroscopy"
Research Advisor:  I. Rubtsov (June 2012)

Valeriy Kasyanenko (Industry, DLA, Inc., Texas)
"Development of the Relaxation-Assisted 2Dir Method for Accessing Structures of Molecules and Its Application for Studying the Energy Transport on a Molecular Level"
Research Advisor:  I. Rubtsov (June 2012)

Sarah Tesar  (Asst. Professor, Georgia Highlands College- Georgia)
"Normal Mode Analysis of Charge Transfer and Internal Vibrational Energy Dynamics"
Research Advisor:  A. Burin (May 2012)

2011

Jing Gu [Postdoctoral Associate National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO]
"Aryl-vinylene Bipyridine and Terpyridine Ligands and Their Ru(II) and Os(II) Complex Systems:  Potential Optical Limiting Materials"
Research Advisor:  R. Schmehl (August 2011)

Marco Giles  (Visiting Research Scholar at Texas A&M University)
"Divergent Polyester Dendronization of Macrocycles as a Platform for the Enhancement of Supramolecular Applications"
Research Advisor: S. Grayson (August 2011)

Mallory Cortez (Post-Doctoral Researcher, with Professor Theresa Reineke, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN)
"Synthesis of Poly(2-Oxazolines) with Tunable Architectures and Their Potential Biomedical Applications"
Research Advisor:  S. Grayson (October 2011)

Yejia Li (Research Scientist, Arkema, King of Prussia, PA)
Research Advisor:  S. Grayson (August 2011)

Jessica Hoskins  (AdolfMartens Post-Doctoral Fellow, with Dr. Steffen Weidner, Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) Berlin, Germany)
"Architectural Studies of Macromolecules:  Synthesis and mass Spectral Characterization of Linear, Cyclic, and Star Polyesters"
Research Advisor:  S. Grayson (October 2011)

David Harris [Post doc Northwestern University]
"Molecular Switches:  DNA Chimeras with Responsive Protein Binding"
Research Advisor:  J. Jayawickramarajah (April 2011)

Boyd Laurent  (Research Scientist, Nalco, Sugarland, TX)
"Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Cyclic Polymer Architectures and Potential Applications"
Research Advisor:  Scott Grayson (July 2011)

Kristi Lebkowsky (Owner, Gymnastics Business, New Orleans, LA)
"Development of Visible Light Photolytic Systems for Hydrogen Generation:  Employing Square Planar Platnium or Nanoparticulate Nickel as Catalysts"
Research Advisor:  Russell Schmehl (April 2011)

Olga Samoylova  (Research Associate (Postdoc Fellow) Baylor University, Waco, Texas)
"Optical Excitations and Energy Transfer in One-Dimensional Nanowaveguides"
Research Advisor:  Alex Burin (April 2011)

Luning He  (Postdoc at South West Medical Center, Dallas, TX)
"Molecular Beam Study on Non-Thermal Plasma Treatment of Volatile Organic Compounds"
Research Advisor:  Mark Sulkes  (April 2011)

2010

Jin Chen [Research Chemist, Fujian Institute of Research, Fuzhou, Fujian, China]
"Ruthenium(II) Pyrene-Bipyridine Complexes :  Synthesis, Photophysics, Photochemistry and In Vivo Oxygen"
Research Advisor:  Russell Schmehl (July 2010)

Dawanne E. Poree [Program Officer, Army Research Office, Research Triangle Park, NC)
"Synthesis of Star and Cyclic Amphiphilic Diblock Copolymers an their Potential Biomedical Appliations"
Research Advisor:  Scott Grayson (August, 2010)

Maher Fathalla [Postdoc Northwestern University with Sir Fraser Stoddart]
"Supramolecular Assemblies Based on Porphyrins, Fullerenes, and Cyclodextrins:  Synthesis, Characterization, and Photophysical Properties"
Research Advisor:  J. Jayawickramarajah  (December 2010)

Gail Blaustein [Associate Professor, Benedictine College, Atchinson, KS]
"Charge and Energy Transport in One-Dimensional Nanomaterials"
Research Advisor: A. Burin (April 2010)