Erode Prabhakaran

Postdoctoral Scholar, 2006, Texas A&M, TX
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2002, Indiana University, IN
Ph.D. Chemistry, 2000, IIT Kanpur, India

Erode is a native of India, and completed his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Organic Chemistry at the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning before studying with Javed Iqbal at IIT, Kanpur. In his gradauate studies, Erode designed peptide turn mimics, completed their synthesis, and developed several new methods to accomlish these larger goals. In 2000, Erode joined the Johnston group as a postdoctoral scholar, and drove to completion several projects within our program in free radical-mediated aryl and vinyl amination. He then pursued studies in protein biochemistry with Prof. Martin Scholtz (Texas A&M). Erode accepted a position in 2006 as Assistant Professor in the Department of Organic Chemistry at the Indian Institute of Science at Bangalore (IISc), and was promoted with tenure in 2014. His independent program at IISc Bangalore is interdisciplinary in nature, using a variety of skills in organic synthesis and physical biochemistry to create new biological catalysts for organic synthesis and to understand existing biochemical phenomena. He has made major contributions to our understanding of peptide secondary structure.
Org. Lett. 2001, 3, 1009.
Org. Lett. 2002, 4, 4197.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2003, 125, 163.
Tetrahedron 2003, 59, 8877.
J. Org. Chem. 2008, 73, 3040.

Joe Mahoney

Postdoctoral Fellow, 2005, Indiana University, IN
Ph.D. Chemistry, 2003, University of Notre Dame, IN

Joe began his training as an undergraduate at Davidson College (NC) where he worked with Prof. Ruth Beeston on the development of light-harvesting ruthenium complexes. He received his B.S. Chemistry degree in 1998 and then moved to The University of Notre Dame where he worked with Prof. Brad Smith to develop new host-guest systems for molecular recognition. He received the J. Peter Grace Prize Fellowship and in 2003 received his Ph.D. in Chemistry. Joe continued his training in the Johnston group and developed the BrØnsted-acid promoted azide-olefin oxazolidine diene synthesis. In 2005, he accepted a position as Senior Research Chemist at Hercules Chemical Company in (Wilmington, DE), 2005-2014 worked as a Research Scientist at Ashland Chemical Company; 2014-2018 held the position of Research Scientist at Solenis; and in 2018 accepted the position of Senior Synthesis Chemist at Buckman, Memphis TN.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2005, 127, 1354.

Jeong Seok Han

Postdoctoral Scientist, 2007, Vanderbilt University, TN
Ph.D. Chemistry, 2003, The Ohio State University, OH

Jeong Seok Han was born in Seoul, South Korea. He completed his B.S. and M.S. degrees at Yonsei University in Seoul. Following his service in the military, he worked in the chemical industry from 1992 to 1998 at the Samyang Group Research Institute. Jeong Seok then entered the graduate program in chemistry at The Ohio State University where he received his Ph.D. in Chemistry in 2003, under the mentorship of Prof. Todd Lowary. In 2003 he joined the Johnston group as a postdoctoral scholar and significantly propelled our work toward the total synthesis of (+)-serratezomine A forward. In 2007, he returned to South Korea to accept a Scientist position in the pharmaceutical division at Cheil Jedang and is currently Senior Scientist at Jaeiljaedang Company (Medicinal Chemistry).
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2009, 131, 3470.
J. Org. Chem. 2013, 78, 822.

Ki Bum Hong

Postdoctoral Associate, 2015, Vanderbilt University, Tennessee
Postdoctoral Associate, 2012, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Ph.D. Chemistry, 2010, Vanderbilt University, Tennessee
M.S. Chemistry, 2003, Chungnam National University, South Korea

Ki Bum Hong hails from Daejeon, Korea where he completed B.S. and M.S. degrees in Chemistry at Chungnam National University, Daejeon, South Korea. He joined the Johnston group in 2004 and has recently extended the scope of the Bronsted acid-catalyzed anti-aminohydroxylation reaction while clarifying details related to its mechanism. Of particular note is his discovery and documentation (with Matt Donahue) of secondary catalysis by water in triazoline decomposition reactions under acidic conditions. Ki Bum was a postdoctoral associate with Peter Wipf at the University of Pittsburgh from 2010 to 2012, and returned to the group in 2012 to continue the total synthesis of zwittermicin. Ki Bum also discovered the hypervalent iodine-mediated alkene diamination reaction using electron rich amines. In 2015, he began a position as Senior Researcher at DGMIF (Daegu Gyeongbuk Medical Innovation Foundation) New Drug Development Center in South Korea and is currently Principal Investigator with the Rare and Intractable Disease Team at DGMIF.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 2323.
Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 2009, 19, 4971.
Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2010, 6, 1206.
Org. Lett. 2011, 13, 1790.
Org. Lett. 2014, 16, 3804.
Org. Lett. 2015, 17, 2558.
Org. Lett. 2015, 17, 3806.

Jeremy Wilt

Postdoctoral Scientist, 2007, Vanderbilt University, TN
Ph.D. Chemistry, 2005, Yale University, CT
B.S. Chemistry, 2001, University of Pittsburgh, PA

Jeremy Wilt was raised in the boroughs of Pittsburgh and completed his B.S. degree in Chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh in 2001. He then joined Jack Faller's group at Yale where he received his Ph.D. in Chemistry in 2005. Later that year, he joined the Johnston group as a postdoctoral scholar and is responsible for the development of a diastereo- and enantioselective synthesis of a,b-diamino phosphonates using chiral proton catalysis. In 2007, he accepted a position at Albany Molecular Research in Syracuse, NY in their process chemistry group, but moved several years later to Johnson-Mathey outside of Boston, MA. Jeremy held the position of Director (Process Chemistry) at Karyopharm Therapeutics, Inc 2018-2019; Director, Head of Small Molecule CMC, KSQ Therapeutics, Inc 2019-22; and is currently Executive Director, CMC, Treeline Biosciences.
Org. Lett. 2008, 10, 2445.
Chem. Commun. 2008, 35, 4177.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2010, 132, 2880.

Matt Donahue

Postdoctoral Scientist, 2007, Vanderbilt University, TN
Ph.D. Chemistry, 2005, The Ohio State University, OH

Matt Donahue is a native of the midwest, specifically Wisconsin, where he completed his B.S. degree in chemistry in 1999 at the University of Wisconsin at Parkside. He then entered the graduate program in chemistry at The Ohio State University where he received his Ph.D. in 2005 under the mentorship of Prof. David Hart, working toward the total synthesis of terpene natural products. He joined the Johnston group later that year as a postdoctoral scholar. Matt contributed to several efforts, including the preparative synthesis of phosphoramidon and the development of Bronsted acid promoted azide-olefin reactions. With Ki Bum Hong, he characterized secondary catalysis of triazoline fragmenation by water. Matt joined Wyeth Pharmaceuticals in 2007 as a Senior Scientist and moved in 2011 to join the Isotope Synthesis group at Johnson & Johnson PRD. In 2013, he began a tenure-track position as Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the University of Southern Mississippi, and was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2019.
Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 2006, 16, 5602.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 2323.
Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 2009, 19, 4971.

Matthew Leighty

Postdoctoral Fellow, 2013, Broad Institute MIT-Harvard, MA
Postdoctoral Scientist, 2010, Vanderbilt University, TN
Ph.D. Chemistry, 2009, University of Kansas, KS
M.S. Chemistry, 2004, University of Kansas, KS
B.S. Chemistry, 2001, Alma College, MI

A Michigan native, Matt Leighty pursued his interest in chemistry as an undergraduate at Alma Colege.  He began graduate studies in medicinal chemistry at the University of Kansas.  Matt's accomplishments include the development of a new protocol for Suzuki-Miyaura couplings to alpha-iodoenaminones, and the use of the Georg amide-aldehyde transformation with the Schwartz reagent on large scale.  He also completed the total synthesis of boehmeriasin A and screened its biological activity.  He joined the group in 2010 and has developed a new enantioselective route to a-oxy amides using Umpolung Amide Synthesis. In 2013, he moved to the Broad Institute of MIT-Harvard, and then accepted a position as Staff Scientist at Kalexsyn in 2014 and in 2019 moved to Cambridge, MA to accept the position of Principal Scientist (Custom Synthesis Group) at Vertex.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012, 134, 15233.
Org. Lett. 2014, 16, 4714.

Sergey Tsukanov

Ph.D. Chemistry, 2012, North Carolina State University, NC
M.S. Chemical Technology and Biotechnology (Honors), 2007, Moscow State Academy of Fine Chemical Technology, Russia
B.S. Chemistry & Chemical Technology, 2005, Moscow State Academy of Fine Chemical Technology , Russia

Sergey was born in Moscow, Russia. He completed his undergraduate studies at Moscow State Academy of Fine Chemical Technology and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and Chemical Technology in 2005. After graduation, he continued his studies at Moscow State Academy of Fine Chemical Technology, and in 2007, he received a Master of Science in Chemical Technology and Biotechnology with Honors. Upon completion of his Master’s program, Sergey decided to pursue a career in synthetic chemistry and began his graduate studies at North Carolina State University under the supervision of Dr. Daniel L. Comins working on the synthesis of indolizidine alkaloids lepadiformine and 205B. He successfully completed the total synthesis of 205B and received his PhD degree in 2012. Sergey contributed to our work in Umpolung Amide Synthesis by completing the synthesis of a fluorinated version of the natural product feglymycin, a tridecapeptide. In 2013, Sergey received the Lilly Innovation Fellowship Award and transitioned to projects that involved the adaptation of our group's chemistries to continuous processing formats. He accepted a position with the Lilly Chemical Development Group in Indianapolis in 2016 and is currently Director of Chemistry.
Org. Process Res. Dev. 2016, 20, 215.
Org. Synth. 2016, 93, 88.
Org. Synth. 2017, 94, 388.
Org. Process Res. Dev. 2018, 22, 971.

David Rubush

Postdoctoral Scientist, 2012, Vanderbilt University, TN
Ph.D. Chemistry, 2012, Colorado State University, CO
B.S. Chemistry, 2006, Calvin College, MI

David was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He began his training at Calvin College where he worked with Professor Ronald Blankespoor to develop a synthesis of β-alkynals. After receiving his B.S. degree in Chemistry in 2006, he moved to Colorado State University where he pursued graduate studies under Professor Tomislav Rovis. His research focused on the total synthesis of stemocurtisine utilizing an asymmetric intramolecular Stetter reaction. He also developed an asymmetric synthesis of 1,2,4-trioxane anticancer agents through a Brønsted acid catalyzed cascade. David worked on our total synthesis of (+)-zwittermicin A. In 2014, he began at Benedictine College (Chicago, IL) as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry.

Yasunori Toda

Postdoctoral Scholar, 2015, Vanderbilt University, TN
Ph.D. Chemistry, 2013, Tohoku University, Japan
B.S. Chemistry, 2008, Tohoku University, Japan

Yasunori was born and raised in Yamanashi, Japan. He received his B.S. Chemistry degree from Tohoku University (Sendai, Japan) in 2008. He continued into graduate studies at Tohoku, where he worked with Prof. Masahiro Terada, working on the combination of metal complexes and chiral Bronsted acid catalysts. He joined the group in June 2013 and developed the first phosphoramidic acid additions to alkenes using enantioselective Bronsted acid catalysis. In April 2015, he began a position as Assistant Prof. of Chemistry at Shinshu University in Nagano, Japan and is currently Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry & Material Engineering.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2014, 136, 14734.

Kazuyuki Tokumaru

Ph.D., 2006, Chiba University, Japan
M.S. Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2003, Nagoya City University, Japan
B.S. Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2001, Nagoya City University, Japan

Kazuyuki was born and raised in Nagoya, Japan. He began his training at Nagoya City University, where he worked with Professor Takayuki Shioiri and Professor Toyohiko Aoyama to develop asymmetric phase-transfer catalysis. After receiving his M.S. degree in 2003, he moved to Chiba University, where he worked with Professor Atsushi Nishida. He received Ph.D. in 2006 accomplishing the total synthesis of manzamine A. He is a researcher of pharmaceutical research division of Toray Industries, Inc., Japan and joined the group as a Visiting Scientist in March 2015, and returned to Japan in February 2017 after completing an impactful new series of heterocycle syntheses based on diverted UmAS.
Chem. Sci. 2017, 8, 3187.
Synthesis 2017, 49, 4670.
Chem 2019, 5, 1248.

Mahesh Vishe

Ph.D. Chemistry, 2015, University of Geneva, Switzerland
M.Sc. Chemistry, 2009, SIES College, India
B.Sc. Chemistry, 2007, V.G. Vaze College, India

Mahesh is a native of India. After finishing Bachelors in chemistry from V.G. Vaze College (Mulund) he joined SIES College (SION). After securing a First Class Master’s Degree with distinction in organic chemistry, he joined as a junior research fellow at IIT Bombay in the lab of Prof. Kaliappan. There he focused on the total synthesis of callystatin A and spongidepsin. He subsequently moved to the University of Geneva in Switzerland and worked on the one step synthesis of functionalized macrocycles and their applications in the lab of Prof. Jérôme Lacour to obtain a Ph.D degree. He joined the group in 2016. Mahesh developed the first highly enantioselective BAM-catalyzed addition of nitroalkanes to nitroalkenes, and he used these adducts in UmAS. This uncovered an unusual substrate reduction that occurs under the formally oxidative conditions of the amide bond-forming reaction. He also joined Team CO2-Fixation and discovered a Goldilocks effect with water in the reaction. Early in 2019, he moved to Harvard to work with Matt Shair. In 2020-2021, Mahesh accepted the position of Scientist at Snapdragon Chemistry (Waltham, MA) and his current position is Scientist at C4 Therapeutics (Watertown, MA).
Chem. Sci. 2019, 10, 1138.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 618.
Encylopedia of Reagents for Organic Synthesis 2019.

Jonathan Scheerer

NIH Postdoctoral Fellow, 2009, Johns Hopkins University, MD
Ph.D. Chemistry, 2006, Harvard University, MA
B.S. Chemistry, 2001, Beloit College, MI

Professor Scheerer was a visiting faculty scholar on sabbatical during summer 2016 from the College of William & Mary, a research-active primarily undergraduate institution. He obtained his B.S. in Chemistry from Beloit College (2001). Doctoral (Ph.D. 2006) and postdoctoral studies were completed at Harvard with David Evans and Johns Hopkins University with Craig Townsend. He moved to the Department of Chemistry at William & Mary in 2009, and was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2015. Research within the Scheerer group focuses on chemical and biological discovery directed toward natural products and the development of efficient syntheses of biologically relevant targets.

Robert Hinkle

NIH Postdoctoral Fellow, 1996, University of California, Irvine, CA
Ph.D. Chemistry, 1994, University of Utah, UT
A.B. Chemistry, 1986, Bowdoin College, ME

Rob Hinkle was a visiting scholar for the fall of 2016 and has been a professor at William & Mary since 1996. William & Mary is a predominantly undergraduate, public university with a small thesis-based Master’s program. Rob’s PhD work focused on both platinum chemistry as well as the synthesis and reactions of alkenyl(aryl)iodonium salts (i.e., the iodonium-Stille reaction). As a postdoctoral fellow, he investigated a tandem bis-Heck strategy toward the core of psycholeine. His current research interests include oxocarbenium ions, cascade reactions involving these ions, catalysis, and potential uses of hypervalent iodine compounds. He has taught Organic Chemistry I, Organic Chemistry II for majors, organic synthesis and a freshman seminar entitled “Beyond Petroleum as a Fuel.” The first three courses are self-explanatory, and the latter discusses the uses of petroleum, including petrochemical feedstock production, alternative energy sources and sustainability.

Kalisankar Bera

PD Chemistry, 2015, Universitat Leipzig, Germany
Ph.D. Chemistry, 2014, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, India
M.Sc. Chemistry, 2008, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India
B.Sc. Chemistry, 2006, Haldia Government College, India

Kalisankar was born and grew up in Moyna, India. After receiving his M.Sc. in Chemistry from the IIT Madras, he began his PhD in the group of Professor I. N. N. Namboothiri at IIT Bombay in 2008. His research in PhD includes the discovery of organocatalytic asymmetric Michael additions for enantioselective synthesis of multifunctional molecules. In 2015 he joined the group of Professor C. Schneider at Universität Leipzig, Germany as postdoc where he worked on chiral phosphoric acid catalyzed asymmetric reactions. In November, 2016 he joined the group and completed a study begun by Kazuyuki Tokumaru to prepare triazoles using diverted UmAS. He was a driver behind the movement of material toward zwittermicin A, and he contributed to a new enantioselective desymmetrization of cyclohexadienes. In May 2018, he returned to the homeland as a Senior Research Investigator with Syngene International and is currently Group Leader at Aurigene Oncology Limited (Bengaluru, India). In 2020 he accepted the role of Group Leader at Aurigene Oncology Limited, (Bengaluru, India).
Synthesis 2017, 49, 4670.

Rashanique Quarels

Ph.D. Chemistry, 2017, Louisiana State University, LA
B.S. Chemistry, 2012, Southern University and A&M College, LA

Rashanique is a native of New Orleans, LA. At Southern University Rashanique was a Ronald E. McNair Scholar (2009), and American Chemical Society Scholar (2011), and a UNCF/Merck Fellow (2011). After receiving her Bachelors in Chemistry with Honors from Southern University she joined the chemistry doctoral program at Louisiana State University. There her doctoral work focused on the development of new methodologies for the functionalization of Au(111) surfaces using carbon centered radicals and the remote activation of 4-(4-methoxyphenyl)-3- butenylthioglycosides under the direction of Professor Justin Ragains. Rashanique was awarded an inaugural Vanderbilt Academic Pathways Fellowship in March 2017 and joined the group in August 2017. She is currently Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Rowan University (Rowan, NJ) here.

Sarah Luesse (nee Cortright)

Postdoctoral Scientist, 2006, The Ohio State University, OH
Ph.D. Chemistry, 2004, Indiana University, IN
B.S. Chemistry, 1999, Hope College, MI

Sarah Cortright hails from Holland, MI, and completed her B.S. degree in Chemistry magna cum laude in 1999 at Hope College. Her undergraduate research was in the area of asymmetric catalysis, working with Joanne Stewart. Sarah joined the Johnston group in its first year at Indiana University, and received her Ph.D. in organic chemistry in August 2004. Her graduate work was principally in the area of asymmetric catalysis where she was responsible for the design, synthesis, and implementation of the first axially chiral b-diketimines known as the IAN amines. Sarah completed a study of the stereochemical aspects of their coordination to group IV metals, and began our investigation into their reactivity. While at IU, she was the recipient of a GAANN fellowship (1999, 2001) and the 2001 Bernard Berk Award in Organic Chemistry. Sarah moved to The Ohio State University in 2005, where she worked on the synthesis of new azinomycin congeners with Robert Coleman. In 2006, Sarah began at Promiliad (Athens, OH) as a Senior Scientist, and a position as Lecturer in Chemistry at Washington University (St. Louis) in 2008. In 2011, she accepted a tenure track position as Assistant Professor and is currently Associate Professor of Chemistry at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2002, 41, 345.
Heterocycles 2004, 62, 223.
Organometallics 2004, 23, 2238.
Organometallics 2004, 23, 5885.
Org. Lett. 2008, 10, 2445.

Michael Plotkin

M.S. Chemistry, 2001, Indiana University, IN
B.S. Chemistry, 1999, Penn State University, PA

Michael, a Pennsylvania native, received his undergraduate degree in chemistry from The Pennsylvania State University in 1999. In that year, he began graduate studies at Indiana University, and joined the Johnston group shortly thereafter. Michael was the first to effect free radical-mediated aryl amination in group, and was a prominent contributor to its early methodological development. He completed his Masters degree in Chemistry in 2001 and joined Pfizer Global Research & Development in Groton, CT as a research associate. In 2009, Michael accepted a position at Merck (NJ).
Org. Lett. 2001, 3, 1009.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2003, 125, 163.

Amie Mandat (nee Williams)

Postdoctoral Scientist, 2007, Scripps Research Institute, FL
Ph.D. Chemistry, 2004, Indiana University, IN
B.A. Chemistry, 1999, DePauw University, IN

Amie Williams was born and raised in Indiana, where she also completed her B.A. Chemistry degree at DePauw University in 1999. Her undergraduate research was guided by Jeffrey Hansen. Amie joined the Johnston group in 1999, and she received her doctoral degree in 2004. Amie began and contributed to a variety of areas, including free radical-mediated vinyl amination and the Bronsted acid-catalyzed aza-Darzens reaction. Amie began studies toward the total synthesis of mitomycin C. Her accomplishments were recognized by Paget and GAANN fellowships (1999-2001), and the departmental Procter & Gamble Fellowship (2003-04). In 2004, she began a postdoctoral position with Bill Roush at the Scripps Research Institute of Florida where she worked in the area of macrolide total synthesis. In 2007 she began a position as Senior Scientist in medicinal chemistry at GlaxoSmithKline in North Carolina, and returned in 2008 to Florida to become the Lower Southeast Regional Manager in Global Chemicals for Thermo Fisher Scientific. In 2019 Amie accepted the position of Sales Account Manager, Pharmaceutical Ingredients, Univar Solutions.
Org. Lett. 2001, 3, 3695.
Org. Lett. 2002, 4, 4197.
Tetrahedron 2003, 59, 8877.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2004, 126, 1612.
Org. Lett. 2006, 8, 6047.
Chem. Commun. 2011, 47, 3975.

Rajesh Viswanathan

Postdoctoral Scientist, 2008, University of Utah, UT
Ph.D. Chemistry, 2005, Indiana University, IN
M.S. Chemistry, 1999, IIT Kanpur, India

Rajesh is a native of India. He completed his M.S. degree in Chemistry at IIT, Kanpur, working with Prof. Javed Iqbal. He entered the graduate program at IU in 1999, and joined the Johnston group in its first year. Rajesh was an early contributor to the development of free radical-mediated aryl amination, and it was through his development of an enantioselective construction of the indoline a-amino acids that he discovered the azacyclopentenylcarbinyl radical isomerization (ACCRI). In the final stages of his dissertation work, he applied the amination reaction in an approach to (+)-ambiguine G. In recognition of his accomplishments, Rajesh was awarded the Bernard Berk Award (2002) and a Lubrizol Fellowship (2003). After receipt of the Ph.D. degree in Chemistry, he joined Dale Poulter in 2005 at the University of Utah as a postdoctoral associate to pursue studies in the area of natural product biosynthesis. Rajesh began his independent career as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Case Western Reserve University in 2008, and he moved to IISER-Tirupati as an Associate Professor of Chemistry & Biology, Associate Dean of Academics.
Org. Lett. 2001, 3, 1009.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2003, 125, 163.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2003, 125, 7266.
Synthesis 2005, 2, 330.
Org. Lett. 2007, 9, 5027.
J. Org. Chem. 2008, 73, 3040.

Ben Nugent

Ph.D. Chemistry, 2005, Indiana University, IN
B.S. Chemistry and Math, 1997, Central Michigan University, MI

A Michigan native, Ben naturally studied at The University of Michigan and Central Michigan University where he graduated cum laude with a degree in Chemistry and Mathematics in 1997. Following a three year stint as a research chemist at Dow Corning (Midland, MI), Ben migrated to Indiana University and joined the Johnston group. Ben contributed to a variety of areas including our work in free radical-mediated vinyl amination. Additionally, he developed the first chiral proton catalyst and applied it to enantioselective imine additions and hetero-Diels-Alder reactions. While at IU, Ben was the recipient of the Paget, Slagle, and P&G fellowships. He was also awarded the Wendell Metzner and Associate Instructor Awards. Ben received his Ph.D. in 2005 and accepted a position as Principal Scientist in Discovery Research at Dow Agro (Indianapolis, IN) and is currently Discovery Scientist at Corteva Agriscience (formerly Dow AgroSciences), Indianapolis, IN.
Org. Lett. 2002, 4, 4197.
Tetrahedron 2003, 59, 8877.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2004, 126, 3418.
Org. Lett. 2015, 17, 880.

Daniel Mutnick

M.S. Chemistry, 2003, Indiana University, IN
B.S. Chemistry, 1999, California Polytech State U., CA

Daniel is a northern California native and completed his undergraduate degree in Chemistry at California Polytech State University in 1999. He then worked for a short time at Affymetrix before matriculating in the Chemistry graduate program at IU. He joined the Johnston group in 2000 and began the stereocontrolled total synthesis of (+)-serratezomine A. He was awarded an M.S. degree in 2003 and returned to California to a position at Novartis (GNF) in San Diego, and is currently Senior Operations Manager at Treeline Biosciences, San Diego, CA.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2003, 125, 7266.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2009, 131, 3470.
J. Org. Chem. 2013, 78, 822.

Ryan Yoder

Ph.D. Chemistry, 2008, Indiana University, IN
B.S. Chemistry, 2002, Indiana University, IN

Ryan Yoder hails from Crown Point, IN, and completed a B.S. degree in Chemistry (Honors) at Indiana University in 2002. He then entered the graduate program at IU and joined the Johnston group in that year. He is received his Ph.D. in chemistry in 2008. Ryan has developed the chiral proton catalyzed aza-Henry reaction while studying various aspects of mechanism with this new catalyst that functions through hydrogen bonding. In recognition of his accomplishments, he received a McCormick Science Award (2004) and an ACS Division of Organic Chemistry Fellowship for 2005-06. Ryan began in the Process Chemistry Group at Albemarle in May 2007. In 2008 Ryan accepted a position as Senior Scientist at Albemarle, Tyrone, PA (2008-2016) and is currently Senior Vice President, Business Development, King Chem Life Science, Allendale, NJ
Heterocycles 2004, 62, 223.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2004, 126, 3418.
Organometallics 2004, 23, 2238.
Chem. Rev. 2005, 105, 4730.
SynLett 2006, 1, 147.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2007, 129, 3466.
Org. Lett. 2015, 17, 880.

Colin Smith

B.A. Chemistry, 2001, DePauw University, IN

Colin is a native Hoosier and received his B.A. Chemistry degree from DePauw University in 2001. He then moved to Indiana University and began in the chemistry graduate program. Colin's work focused on the discovery and development of the acid-promoted aziridination and aminohydroxylation of olefins. In 2004 he returned to DePauw as a Lecturer in chemistry.
Synthesis 2005, 2, 330.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2005, 127, 1354.
J. Org. Chem. 2008, 73, 3040.

Julie Pigza

Postdoctoral Scientist, 2009, UC San Diego, CA
Ph.D. Chemistry, 2008, Indiana University, IN
B.S. Chemistry, 2002, Allegheny College, PA

Julie Pigza is a Pennsylvania native, graduating in 2002 with a B.S. degree in Chemistry from Allegheny College where she did undergraduate research with Shaun Murphree. She joined the Johnston group in that year and received her Ph.D. in chemistry in 2008. She nearly completed the total synthesis of (+)-serratezomine A. As a result of her accomplishments, she has received a Lilly Fellowship (2002), GAANN fellowship (2003), the inaugural Jack Crandall award in organic chemistry at IU (2004), and a Pfizer Diversity Fellowship in Organic Chemistry (2005-06). Julie was a postdoctoral scholar with Tadeusz Molinski at UC San Diego where she pursued her interest in natural product isolation and characterization with a particular emphasis on the development of methods to assign remote chiral carbon configuration. Julie began her independent career as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Queens Community College in New York City, before moving to the University of Southern Mississippi in 2013.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2009, 131, 3470.
Total Synthesis of Natural Products; Li, J. J., Corey, E. J., Eds.; Springer: Heidelberg, 2012, p 131.
J. Org. Chem. 2013, 78, 822.

Jayasree Srinivasan

Ph.D. Chemistry, 2008, Indiana University, IN
M.S. Chemistry, 1999, University of Houston, TX

Jayasree Srinivasan is a native of Chennai, India, and emigrated to the United States in 1997. She received an M.S. degree in Chemistry from the University of Houston in 1999. She then worked in the pharmaceutical industry until 2003 when she returned to graduate studies and joined the Johnston group. She has studied the use of indoline a-amino acids to control peptide secondary structure, an emerging area in the group. Jay's dissertation research also involved the development of an approach to the total synthesis of the antitumor agent mitomycin C. Jay completed her Ph.D. in 2008 and accepted the position of Research Scientist II at Baxter International R&D, Bloomington, IN.
Synthesis 2005, 2, 330.
Org. Lett. 2006, 8, 6047.
Chem. Commun. 2011, 47, 3975.

Timothy Troyer

Ph.D. Chemistry, 2008, Vanderbilt University, TN
M.S. Chemistry, 1999, University of Michigan, MI

Tim Troyer is a native of Michigan and completed his B.S. degree in Chemistry at Goshen College in 1996. He then earned an M.S. Chemistry degree from the University of Michigan in 1999. After four years as a medicinal chemist at Bristol-Myers-Squibb, he returned to graduate studies in 2003. His dissertation research involved a mechanistic study of the Bronsted acid-catalyzed aza-Darzens reaction, and the use of this knowledge to design a Bronsted acid promoted glycolate Mannich reaction. He received his Ph.D. in Chemistry in 2008 and began his independent career at West Virginia Wesleyan University as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry. Tim moved to Huntington University, IN to accept the role of Assistant Professor of Chemistry (2012-2018) and is currently Visiting Professor of Chemistry, Denison University, OH.
Chem. Commun. 2009, 41, 6195.
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2010, 49, 2290.
Org. Synth. 2011, 88, 212.
Org. Lett. 2011, 13, 1790.

Bo Shen

Ph.D. Chemistry, 2009, Vanderbilt University, TN
B.S. Chemistry, 2003, University of Science and Technology of China, China

Bo Shen is a native of Nanjing, China. He completed his undergraduate training at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), earning a B.S. degree in Chemistry in 2003. He joined the Johnston group later that year and has studied enantioselective chiral proton-catalyzed olefin functionalization. Additionally, he has developed a new chiral proton-catalyzed synthesis of a,b-diamino acid derivatives that produces the syn diastereomer with high dr and ee. Bo also discovered and developed a new hydrative amide synthesis - Umpolung Amide Synthesis. Bo completed postdoctoral studies at MIT with Timothy Jamison in the area of flow chemistry, and in 2013 accepted a position in medicinal chemistry at Incyte (Delaware). In 2020, he then moved to Prelude Therapeutics (Wilmington, DE) to accept the role of Director (process chemistry, CMC)
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2007, 129, 3466.
Org. Lett. 2008, 10, 4397.
Nature 2010, 464, 1027.
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 2012, 109, 44.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012, 134, 15233.
Org. Lett. 2014, 16, 4714.

Anand Singh

Ph.D. Chemistry, 2009, Vanderbilt University, TN
M.S. Chemistry, 2004, IIT Bombay, India

Anand Singh was born in Gorakhpur, India. After receiving a B.S. degree in Chemistry from the University of Mumbai, and an M.S. degree in organic chemistry from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, he entered the graduate program at Indiana University in 2004. He joined the Johnston group in 2005. Among his accomplishments, Anand discovered an unsymmetrical chiral proton catalyst that delivers anti-a,b-diamino acid derivatives with high diastereo- and enantioselection. He received a Warren Fellowship while at Vanderbilt University, and earned his Ph.D. in 2009. Following a postdoc with Greg Roth at the Burnham Institute in Florida, Anand began an independent faculty position in the Department of Chemistry at IIT Kanpur in 2013.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2007, 129, 3466.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 5866.
Chem. Sci. 2018, 9, 2336.

Aroop Chandra

Ph.D. Chemistry, 2011, Vanderbilt University, TN
M.S. Chemistry, 2005, University of Delhi, India

Aroop was born and raised in India, where he attended St. Stephen's College in Delhi for his undergraduate studies. He earned a B.S. in Chemistry in 2003 and continued his studies at the University of Delhi where he completed an M.S. degree in Chemistry. In 2005 he joined the Johnston group when we moved from IU to Vanderbilt. He has explored the use of indoline a-amino acids as conformational control elements in peptides, completed the first total synthesis of (+)-serratezomine A, the first total synthesis of hapalindole K & A, and a formal synthesis of hapalindole G. Aroop was a postdoctoral associate at Princeton University with David MacMillan, until he began his current position in medicinal chemistry at Cytokinetics (San Francisco) in 2013 and in 2020 accepted the position as Principal Scientist at Corteva Agriscience (Indianapolis, IN).
Org. Lett. 2007, 9, 5027.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2009, 131, 3470.
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2011, 50, 7641.
J. Org. Chem. 2013, 78, 822.

Tyler Davis

Ph.D. Chemistry, 2011, Vanderbilt University, TN
B.S. Biochemistry, 2005, Lipscomb University, TN

Tyler is of Tennessee origin, and embarked on his undergraduate studies at Lipscomb University in Nashville where he received a B.S. degree in Biochemistry (magna cum laude) in 2005. During the summer of 2004, he worked with Bruce King at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. He began graduate studies at Vanderbilt and joined the group in 2006. Tyler has discovered a new chiral proton catalyst (dubbed PBAM) whose increased reactivity has substantially expanded the scope of the aza-Henry reaction. He has also successfully deployed these catalysts in the preparation of several chiral nonracemic amines of medicinal importance, most notably (-)-Nutlin-3 (HLR). After a brief stint as a postdoctoral fellow in the group, he began postdoctoral studies with Tomislav Rovis at Colorado State University, and accepted a position as Investigator in process and catalysis chemistry at GlaxoSmithKline (NC) in June 2014, moved to Merck Process (NJ) 2015-2019 and is currently a Scientist (process/catalysis chemistry) at Corteva Agriscience (Indianapolis, IN).
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2010, 132, 2880.
J. Biol. Chem. 2011, 286, 3047.
Chem. Sci. 2011, 2, 1076.
Org. Synth. 2012, 89, 380.
Chem. Commun. 2012, 48, 5578.
J. Org. Chem. 2013, 78, 10605.
J. Org. Chem. 2014, 79, 6913.
Cancer Res 2015, 75, 181.

Hubert Muchalski

Ph.D., 2012, Vanderbilt University, TN
B.S./M.S., 2006, Wroclaw University of Technology, Poland

Hubert is a native of Poland where he received his B.S./M.S. in Chemistry at Wroclaw University of Technology in 2006. During these studies, he investigated the diselenide catalyzed hydroperoxide oxidation of naphthalenes. In 2006, he began graduate studies at Vanderbilt and joined the group in 2007 after his rotations. Hubert developed a unique a-diazo imide reagent that enabled the development of the Bronsted acid catalyzed syn-glycolate Mannich reaction. He then used the Bronsted acid-promoted azide-alkene synthesis of vic-amino alcohols to develop a two directional synthesis approach to (+)-zwittermicin A. Hubert was a postdoctoral scholar with Ned Porter until 2015, at which time he joined California State University, Fresno as an Associate Professor of Chemistry.
Chem. Commun. 2009, 41, 6195.
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2010, 49, 2290.
Org. Synth. 2011, 88, 212.
Science of Synthesis 2011, 1, 155.
Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2010, 6, 1206.
Org. Lett. 2011, 13, 1790.

Priya Mathew

Ph.D. Chemistry, 2012, Vanderbilt University, TN
B.S. Chemistry, 2006, University of Texas, Austin, TX

Priya was born in Kerala, India and raised in Muscat, Oman. She came to the US in 2002 and began her undergraduate studies at The University of Texas, Austin. In December 2006, she received her B.S. Chemistry degree and began graduate studies in organic chemistry at Vanderbilt in 2007. Priya spent her first rotation in the group preparing front-line material in our mitomycin C synthesis campaign and then joined the group to continue the synthesis. She completed her dissertation in 2012 and moved to Michigan as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Kalamazoo College. Priya went on to become Lecturer at Trinity College, Hartford, CT (2015-2019); and is currently Associate Professor at Wilifrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Chem. Commun. 2011, 47, 3975.

Mark Dobish

Ph.D. Chemistry, 2012, Vanderbilt University, TN
B.S. Chemistry, 2007, Allegheny College, PA

Mark hails from western Pennsylvania, specifically the town of New Wilmington. He completed his undergraduate degree in chemistry in 2007 at Allegheny College. While at Allegheny, Mark completed undergraduate research with Prof. P.J. Persichini, and completed an internship at Pfizer (Groton). Mark matriculated in the Vanderbilt Graduate Program in Chemistry in 2007 and joined the group after his rotations. Mark completed the first enantioselective synthesis of VNI, a small molecule discovered by colleagues in Biochemistry who determined it to be a potent inhibitor of CYP51. The synthesis - which required the development of a large scale PBAM-catalyzed enantioselective aza-Henry reaction, provided the drug quantity necessary for a collaborator at Meharry Medical College to show that VNI can cure both acute and chronic Chagas infection in a murine model. Mark also discovered an enantioselective chiral proton catalyzed iodolactonization reaction. Mark accepted a position at Noramco process chemistry research, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, in 2012. In 2020, Mark moved to Athens, GA to accept the role of Program Manager, New Product Introduction at Purisys.
Org. Lett. 2010, 12, 5744.
Org. Synth. 2012, 89, 380.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012, 134, 6068.
Org. Lett. 2012, 14, 6322.
J. Infect. Dis. 2013, 208, 504.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2015, 137, 7302.

Dawn Makley

Ph.D. Chemistry, 2012, Vanderbilt University, TN
B.S. Biology, 2007, Xavier University, Ohio

Dawn is a native of Tipp City, Ohio. She began undergraduate studies at Xavier University in 2003, leading to receipt of a B.S. Chemistry degree in 2007. While at Xavier, Dawn performed undergraduate research under the mentorship of Prof. Rick Mullins. Dawn entered the graduate program in chemistry in 2007, and joined the group after her rotations. Dawn is developing a most impressive (Bo says...) new amide bond forming reaction, with a particular emphasis on unmet amide synthesis needs. Dawn was awarded the Ph.D. in Chemistry in 2012, and taught at a private school in New Jersey while moonlighting as a scientist at Princeton University. She moved in 2014 to take a new faculty position at Nueva School, a private high school in San Francisco; she is currently a high schoo teacher at Zionsville Community High School, Zionsville, IN.
Nature 2010, 464, 1027.
Org. Lett. 2014, 16, 3146.

Amanda Doody

Ph.D. Chemistry, 2014, Vanderbilt University, TN
B.S. Chemistry, 2008, Wofford, SC

Amanda was an NSF-REU student at Columbia University working with Gerard Parkin during the summer of 2007. She then completed her B.S. Chemistry degree (summa cum laude) from Wofford College in South Carolina in 2008. She matriculated at Vanderbilt later that year and joined the group following her rotations. Amanda perfected our preparation of a novel diazo-imide for reaction discovery and development, and developed our approaches to the alkaloid kauluamine and aryl glycine-rich feglymycin natural products. Following completion of her Ph.D. degree in 2014, she accepted a position as Laboratory Coordinator and Lecturer at Georgia Tech.
Org. Synth. 2011, 88, 212.
Org. Synth. 2016, 93, 88.

Jessica Finn (nee Shackleford)

M.S. Chemistry, 2012, Vanderbilt University, TN
B.S. Chemistry (with honors), 2009, University of Southern Mississippi, MS

Jessica is one of several ‘true’ southerners in the group, hailing from Mississippi where she completed her undergraduate studies in chemistry at the University of Southern Mississippi. During that time, she worked with Prof. Douglas Masterson to develop free radical azidation reactions using sulfonyl azides. Additionally, she completed two NSF-REU stints, one with Prof. Mukund Sibi at NDSU (2007), and a second with Prof. Scott Denmark at UIUC (2008). Jessica matriculated at Vanderbilt in 2009 and joined the group shortly thereafter as part of our new amide and peptide synthesis program. Jessica was a 2007 Goldwater Scholar, and an NSF Predoctoral Fellow. In 2012, Jessica completed her M.S. Thesis and returned to her hometown in MS to pursue a career in teaching and a (tasty) family business. In 2012, she accepted the role of Technologist at LabCorp, MS; moved to Research Scientist at Georgia-Pacific LLC, MS (2015-2018); and is currently Development Specialist at Buckman, Memphis, TN.
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 2012, 109, 44.
Org. Lett. 2014, 16, 4714.

Dain Beezer

Ph.D. Chemistry 2017, Vanderbilt University, TN
M.S. Chemistry, 2013, Vanderbilt University, TN
B.A. Chemistry, 2010, Fisk University, TN

Jamaica native Dain Beezer completed his undergraduate studies in chemistry at Fisk University.  As an undergrad, he enjoyed summer research stints in a variety of scientific areas at Alabama A&M, Vanderbilt, and Fisk. He began graduate studies at Vanderbilt in 2010 and after completing his rotations, joined the group beginning summer 2011. Dain used a combination of the Sharpless dihydroxylation reaction and Umpolung Amide Synthesis to prepare b,g-dihydroxy amides enantioselectively. He completed his M.S. thesis in 2013 and was developing polymer-based chemical devices with Prof. Eva Harth. Dain is currently Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Fisk University, Nashville, TN.

Michael Danneman

Ph.D. Chemistry, 2016, Vanderbilt University, TN
B.S. Chemistry, 2010, Xavier University, OH

Michael Danneman is a native of Kentucky and completed his undergraduate studies in chemistry at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. With the mentorship of Professor Rick Mullins, Michael worked toward the total synthesis of pilosinine. He matriculated at Vanderbilt in 2010, and joined the group after his rotations. Secretly, we were hoping he would share knowledge of a certain recipe from his former employer Skyline Chili. Instead, we received a new highly effective catalyst (MAM), development of a new alkene diamination using hypervalent iodine reagents, and an enantioselective route to a promising therapeutic - an equally tasty harvest. Michael defended his dissertation in February 2016, and began postdoctoral studies with Tomislav Rovis at Columbia University. He accepted a position in 2018 at Moderna Therapeutics as a Senior Scientist (drug delivery).
Chem. Commun. 2012, 48, 5578.
J. Org. Chem. 2014, 79, 6913.
Org. Lett. 2015, 17, 2558.
Org. Lett. 2015, 17, 3806.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 1998.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, ASAP.

Brandon Vara

Ph.D. Chemistry, 2015, Vanderbilt University, TN
B.S. Chemistry, 2010, James Madison University, VA

Although born in Irvine, California, Brandon represents the traffic-laden suburbs of Northern Virginia and received his B.S. in Chemistry from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. At JMU Brandon worked with Professor Kevin Minbiole exploring cyclopropane fragmentations and subsequent rearrangements to azepines and piperidines. In the summer of 2009, he interned with Amgen in medicinal chemistry as a wide-eyed undergraduate and developed diterpene libraries via unique biooxidations. Beginning his graduate studies in chemistry at Vanderbilt in 2010, Brandon broadened the aza-Henry approach to Nutlin-3 derivatives using chiral proton catalysis. He also developed the enantioselective synthesis of iodocarbonates by CO2-fixation with homoallylic alcohols. In 2015, he bestowed his greatest accomplishment - the creation of the Johnston Group Twitter account - on his successor, and successfully defended his dissertation. Brandon began postdoctoral studies in January 2016 with Prof. Gary Molander at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2017, he joined Merck in Boston, MA as a Senior Scientist in discovery/medicinal chemistry and is currently Associate Principal Scientist.
J. Org. Chem. 2014, 79, 6913.
Org. Lett. 2015, 17, 880.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2015, 137, 7302.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2016, 138, 13794.
EBioMedicine 2017, 24, 43.

Ken Schwieter

Ph.D. Chemistry, 2016, Vanderbilt University, TN
B.S. Chemistry, 2011, Xavier University, OH

Chapter 1. Ken was born and raised in Cincinnati, OH. He began at Xavier University in 2007 and worked with Prof. Rick Mullins as an undergraduate researcher. Provided a furlough for the summer, he joined the privileged (albeit dubious) ranks of NSF-REU students at Vanderbilt, and more specifically, the Johnston group. Ken assisted the PBAM scale-up campaign, and prepared a novel BAM ligand. Ken is an avid collector and amateur model for St. X, Xavier, and Vanderbilt T-shirts.

Chapter 2. Ken matriculated at Vanderbilt in 2011, and completed his rotations during the Fall. He then joined the group in January 2012 and developed the enantioselective synthesis of aliphatic a-amino acids using a combination of chiral proton catalysis and Umpolung Amide Synthesis. He had many other accomplishments, but most notable was the expansion of his wardrobe to include shirts in support of the US Men's National Soccer Team.

Chapter 3. Ken joined Jeff Moore's group in polymer and material synthesis at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne in 2016.

Chapter 4. Ken accepted a position in 2018 as Product Manager in the Emerging Chemical Synthesis group at MilliporeSigma in Wisconsin. In 2022 he advanced to Senior Product Manager.
Org. Synth. 2012, 89, 380.
Org. Lett. 2014, 16, 4714.
Chem. Sci. 2015, 6, 2590.
ACS Catal. 2015, 5, 6559.
Chem. Commun. 2016, 52, 152.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2016, 138, 14160.

Daniel Sprague

Ph.D. Chemistry, 2016, Vanderbilt University, TN
B.S. Biochemistry, 2011, University of Miami, FL
B.S. Chemistry, 2011, University of Miami, FL

Dan grew up in New Jersey, but flew south for college to the University of Miami. He completed his B.S. Biochemistry and B.S. Chemistry degrees (General Honors) in 2011 with magna cum laude distinction. While at Miami, Prof. Norito Takenaka inspired him to begin research in organic chemistry, through which Dan prepared several new helically chiral catalysts for enantioselective catalysis. Dan completed his rotations at Vanderbilt during the summer and Fall, and joined the group in January 2012. He investigated the chiral proton catalyzed enantioselective hetero-Diels-Alder reactions, and further developed enantioselective aza-Henry additions of nitroesters. Dan's interest in therapeutic development were indulged by several complex small molecule targets. In 2016, Dan was awarded the Ph.D. and he then continued his career track toward scientist-physician by matriculating in the medical program at UW-Milwaukee where he received his MD. He is currently an American Heart Association Postdoctoral Scholar with Jonathan
Org. Lett. 2015, 17, 880.
Chem. Sci. 2018, 9, 2336.
Org. Lett. 2020, 22, 8496.

Jonathan Witt

M.S. Chemistry, 2014, Vanderbilt University, TN
B.S. Chemistry, 2011, Haverford College, PA

Jon grew up in Portland, ME and has two brothers and two sisters-as well as a faithful dog - Sammy. He attended Haverford College in Haverford, PA. Jon worked on several research projects during undergrad including contributing to a natural product synthesis and working with ligands in bioinorganic chemistry. His college thesis detailed the synthesis and properties of a novel tri-guanidine ligand. Jon began his work at Vanderbilt, after a year in the private sector, as a rotation student in the Johnston lab during the summer of 2012. Jon joined the group following this rotations and completed his Masters thesis in 2014. Jon investigated the application of UmAS to free a-amino acid acceptors for peptide synthesis. Jon accepted the position of High School Chemistry Teacher, FL.

Thomas Struble

Ph.D. Chemistry, 2018, Vanderbilt University, TN
B.S. Biochemistry, 2012, College of Charleston, SC
B.A. Chemistry, 2012, College of Charleston, SC

Thomas was born in Fargo, North Dakota and grew up on the beach in Charleston, SC. At the College of Charleston he worked for Dr. Marcello Forconi, where he worked on elucidation of the mechanism of catalysis for the hammerhead ribozyme. In the Johnston Lab he has developed carbon dioxide capture reactions, including mechanism elucidation using combined IR and NMR experiments. He also has introduced the group to the use of computational techniques for to the rational design of new catalysts and reactions. His crowning achievement is the development of an enantioselective alkene diamination reaction, detailed in his dissertation published in January 2018. He is currently a postdoctoral scholar at MIT with Klavs Jensen. In 2020, Thomas accepted the position of Senior Scientist (computer-aided synthesis) at Merck; in 2022 was promoted to Associate Principal Scientist.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2015, 137, 7302.
ACS Catal. 2018, 8, 11926.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 618.

J. Org. Chem. 2021, 86, 15606.

Matthew Knowe

Ph.D. Chemistry, 2018, Vanderbilt University, TN
B.S. Biochemistry, 2012, College of Charleston, SC

Matthew was born in Athens, Georgia in 1990, and has lived in Oregon, Florida, Tennessee, and South Carolina since then. He studied Biochemistry at the College of Charleston and conducted chemical biology research under Dr. Marcello Forconi. He began his graduate studies at Vanderbilt in 2012. Matt began his graduate studies working toward the total synthesis of zwittermicin, and later transitioned to enantioselective catalysis. Matt successfully developed an BAM-catalyzed iodolactonization reaction that produces bicyclic lactones in high ee. He was able to obtain the first BAM catalyst-substrate complexes, and he used them to support a hypothesis that the catalyst desymmetrizes the carboxylic acid in these cyclizations, not unlike enzymes that effect atom-selective reactivity. In this way, his catalysis is biomimetic, and a striking demonstration of the catalyst simplicity possible to achieve this. In 2018, Matt began postdoctoral studies with Ned Porter. Shortly thereafter, he accepted a position as Principal Scientist at StemSynergy in Franklin, TN.
Org. Synth. 2017, 94, 388.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 1998.

Suzanne Batiste

Ph.D. Chemistry, 2018, Vanderbilt University, TN
B.S. Bioengineering, 2012, UC San Diego, CA

Suzanne was born and raised in California. She received her B.S in bioengineering at the University of California, San Diego. At UCSD, Suzanne worked on creating a device to detect essential minerals for algae growth using gene circuits.  She began her graduate studies in chemistry at Vanderbilt in 2012. Suzanne joined the group after completing her rotations, entering our program in umpolung amide synthesis. Her dissertation work quickly took on a life after her total synthesis of (-)-verticilide using a combination of Henry/UmAS to prepare didepsipeptides. This led to a second total synthesis of (-)-verticilide was achieved by a Mitsunobu MacroCycloOligomerization (M-MCO). This led to a hypothesis that the M-MCO could be optimized by Lewis acidic alkali metal ions that could template the 24-membered ring formation. This led to a study that targeted both high-yielding syntheses of single macrocycles, as well as collections of ring-size congeners. This led to a binding study of the salts with series of ring sizes. This led to the total synthesis of bassianolide, valinomycin, and montanastatin. This led to a few more things too. In her spare time, Suzanne enjoys running, dancing, and playing with her adorable cat Mo (also making him dance and feeding him cheese while he works on NMR structural elucidation). In 2018, Suzanne defended her dissertation successfully and began postdoctoral studies with Greg Fu at CalTech as an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow. She is currently Senior Scientist (medicinal chemistry) at Pfizer, Boulder, CO.
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 2016, 113, 14893. [see correction]
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 4560. [see correction]
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 2019, 116, 4810.

Circ. Res. 2021, 128, 321.

ACS Med. Chem. Lett. 2022, 13, 1755.

Stefano Lancianesi

Stefano Lancianesi was born in Italy and received his Laurea degree in 2011 at the University of Camerino. During the same year he started his Ph.D. under the supervision of Professor Marino Petrini. His research interests include the study of new methodologies for the synthesis and functionalization of heteroaromatic compounds. He joined the group as a visiting student in March 2014. Stefano is currently Senior Scientist Process Chemistry at The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson.

Andrew Flach

M.S. Chemistry, 2017, Vanderbilt University, TN
B.S. Chemistry, 2014, University of Louisville, KY

Andrew was born in 1991 in Cincinnati and grew up in Northern Kentucky. At the University of Louisville he conducted research as an undergraduate in the Hammond-Xu group, first working on elucidating the mechanism of toxicity of an anticancer compound developed by Dr. Xu, and then investigating the role and effects of different counterions in organocatalysis. He joined Vanderbilt University in the Fall of 2014, and joined the Johnston group in March of 2015 after completing his rotations. Andrew discovered a BAM-catalyzed enantioselective alkene iodofunctionalization that gives medium ring-size lactones. In 2017, he accepted the role of Securities Analyst II with Wells Fargo (Frederick, MD) and is currently a Capital Markets Risk Analyst at Fifth Third Bank, Cincinnati, OH.
Chem. Sci. 2022, 13, 7318.

Sangjun Park

M.S. Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology, 2015, University of Science & Technology, South Korea
B.S. Application Chemistry, 2013, Cheongju University, South Korea

Sangjun was born and raised in Cheongju, South Korea. He obtained his B.S. degree in Application Chemistry at Cheongju University. He then received an M.S. degree from the UST (University of Science & Technology) of the KRICT (Korea Research of Institute Chemical Technology) as a major in Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology. He developed an ulcerative colitis treatment and a new breast cancer DRAK-2 inhibitor, along with Dr. Kwang-ho Lee. After earning an M.S degree, he joined Kyongbo Pharm in South Korea (Process Chemistry). He joined the group in September 2019 as a Visiting Scientist for a 6 month training period, studying the enantioselective reduction of nitroalkenes.

J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, ASAP

Jade Bing

Ph.D. Chemistry, 2020, Vanderbilt University, TN
B.S. Biochemistry, 2013, Rider University, NJ

Jade is a Jersey girl, born and raised. In 2013 she received an ACS accredited B.S. in biochemistry from Rider University. At Rider, Jade became a McNair Scholar (2011) and worked with Dr. Danielle Jacobs on the stereocontrolled total chemical syntheses of cytotoxic and antimycobacterial natural products. In the summer of 2012, she worked with Dr. Robert Knowles as a Leadership Alliance Early Identification Fellow at Princeton University on the use of PCET for intermolecular ketyl-olefin coupling. After graduation, she became a research coordinator and counselor for the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program before coming to Vanderbilt in the fall of 2014. Jade truly appreciates a clever one-liner or pun and in her free time she enjoys playing sports, cooking and games. Jade received the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship in 2015, and a Corteva Scholar Award in 2019. In 2020, she began as a Research Scientist at Corteva.
Chem. Sci. 2022, 13, 2614.
Org. Lett. 2023, 25, 950

Michael Crocker

Ph.D. Chemistry, 2021, Vanderbilt University, TN
B.S. Chemistry, 2015, University of Kentucky, KY
B.S. Chemical Engineering, 2015, University of Kentucky, KY

Michael is a native of Bowling Green, KY where he attended the Carol Martin Gatton Academy where he did research with Dr. Jeremy Maddox and Dr. Lester Pesterfield on Pourbaix diagrams. He also participated in an NSF-International Research Experience for Scientists in Taiwan working with Dr. Ru-Jong Jeng on dendron synthesis, for which he received a Barry Goldwater Scholarship. Michael also trained with Dr. Chad Snyder and Dr. Rui Zhang in synthesis. He did his undergraduate work at the University of Kentucky pursuing a double chemical engineering/chemistry major with a math minor. There he worked with Dr. Mark Meier on oxidative cleavage of lignin. Outside of class, Michael likes biking, cooking, and collecting/enjoying Chinese and Japanese teas and tea wear. Michael joined the group in 2016 at the end of his rotations. In 2016, Michael was awarded the prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, and the Bader Award (MilliporeSigma) in 2019. Michael worked as a postdoctoral scholar working with Laura Ackerman at Arizona State University in Phoenix, Arizona. He is currently a Scientist (Process Chemistry) at Gilead Pharmaceuticals, San Francisco, CA.
Chem 2019, 5, 1248.
J. Org. Chem. 2022, 87, 5451.

J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 16708

Ronald Benning

M.S. Chemistry, 2020, Vanderbilt University, TN
B.S. Chemistry, 2014, Rider University, NJ

Originally from Trenton, New jersey, Ron Benning obtained his B.S. in chemistry at Rider University where he was first introduced to scientific research through American Chemical Society Project SEED; an ACS sponsored program that allows economically disadvantaged high school students to engage in collegiate-level research. As a high school senior, Ron engaged in research including the synthesis of aryldiazonium salts and investigation of solvolysis on the kinetic isotope effect, advised by ACS Fellow Dr. John Eugene Sheats. As an undergraduate, Ron worked with Dr. Danielle Jacobs on the synthesis of natural product R-(+)-pulegone and investigated conjugate additions to 2-vinylpyridines. He later concluded his undergraduate research working with Dr. John Adamovics on the synthesis and formulation of triarylmethane photosensitizers in polyurethanes for stereotactic dosimetry. In addition to his academic endeavors, Ron served five years as a volunteer firefighter at Lawrence Road Fire Company in Lawrence, NJ.

As a chemistry graduate student at Vanderbilt, Ron initially obtained his M.S. in the lab of Dr. H. Charles Manning where his research focused on developing methods to incorporate radioactive isotopes in the synthesis of natural amino acids for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. Currently, Ron is pursuing a PhD in the Johnston group where his research addresses stereoselection in asymmetric aza-Henry reactions utilizing BAM catalysis. When Ron is not optimizing experimental conditions, you might find him rafting, working out, playing guitar, swing dancing, or simply hanging by the fire pit.

David Almond

M.S. Chemistry, 2021, Vanderbilt University, TN
M.S. Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2019, Rowan University, NJ
B.S. Biological Sciences, 2017, Rowan University, NJ

David was born and raised in Elsinboro New Jersey. He attended Rowan University where he obtained his B.S in Biological Sciences. He then continued his work at Rowan with Professor Moura-Letts where he focused his research efforts on the synthesis and applications of small heterocycles in acquisition of his M.S of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Outside of lab, David enjoys tabletop games, nature walks and traveling. David joined the group after his three rotations.

Jenna Payne

Ph.D. Chemistry, 2021, Vanderbilt University, TN
B.S. Chemistry, 2016, University of Detroit, Mercy, MI

Jenna was raised in Lansing, Michigan with her two brothers. Fun fact, Jenna is a triplet! She received her B.S. from the University of Detroit Mercy. Her undergraduate research focused on developing multi-dentate ligands utilizing straight-chain podand amines and ortho-functionalized aldehydes; in select cases, these ligands reacted with metal cations. Jenna’s hobbies include running, reading, and playing lacrosse. Jenna is currently employed as a Senior Scientist (Process Chemistry) at Boehringer-Ingelheim, CT.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 618.
Chem. Sci. 2022, 13, 7318.

Abigail Smith

Ph.D. Chemistry, 2021, Vanderbilt University, TN
B.S. Chemistry, 2016, University of Evansville, IN

Abby hails from Franklin, Indiana. She received her B.S. in professional chemistry in 2016 from the University of Evansville. Abby worked with the synthesis and development of small, biologically complex “smart” therapeutics aimed at simultaneously targeting, detecting, and treating disease. Abby joined the group to pursue our nascent hit-to-lead program in ent-verticilide as an antiarrhythmic. She was awarded an NIH F31 predoctoral fellowship in 2020. Abby graduated in 2021 and accepted a position in medicinal chemistry at Eli Lilly in Indianapolis.
Chem. Sci. 2024, Advance Article
Mol. Pharm. 2024, 105, 194-201 and bioRxiv 2023
ACS Chem. Biol. 2023, 18, 2290–2299
J. Pharm. Exptl. Ther. 2023, 385, 205-213
ACS Med. Chem. Lett. 2022, 13, 1755-1762
J. Org. Chem. 2022, 87, 5451
Circulation 2022, 145, 1480-1496
ACS Med. Chem. Lett. 2021, 12, 1942-1947
J. Org. Chem. 2021, 86, 7904
Circ. Res. 2021, 128, 321

Jade Izaguirre

M.S. Chemistry, 2021, Vanderbilt University, TN
B.S. Biochemistry, 2016, Berry College, GA

Jade was born and raised in Dalton, Georgia. She received her B.S. in Biochemistry from Berry College where she worked on the synthesis of two novel, fluorescent nucleosides under the supervision of Dr. Lindsey Davis. Jade has also had the privilege to work under Dr. Ruth Webster at the University of Bath during an international NSF-REU (2015). There, she gathered preliminary data on the catalytic ability of two iron-centered complexes. Jade, a recipient of a GAANN Fellowship, joined the Johnston lab at the end of her three rotations. She has studied the preparation of b-fluoroamines, and C-H remote functionalization reactions of nitroalkanes.

Jade Williams

Ph.D. Chemistry, 2021, Vanderbilt University, TN
B.S. Chemistry, 2016, Wake Forest University, NC

Jade Williams was raised in the D[M]V but moved south to receive her BA in Chemistry from Wake Forest University. Upon graduation in 2015, she spent a year conducting research as a PREP post-baccalaureate scholar under the direction of Dr. Damian Young in the Center for Drug Discovery at Baylor College of Medicine. Jade’s experience at BCM sparked her interest in the design and advancement of novel therapeutics. She arrived at Vanderbilt in 2016 eager to learn new chemistry and try hot chicken! Jade accepted the position of Senior Scientist (medicinal chemistry) at Pfizer, Groton, CT.

Kristen Nailor

B.S. Biochemistry, 2001, Indiana University, IN

Kristen Nailor is of Hoosier origin, and she completed her B.S. degree in Biochemistry in 2001. As an undergraduate in the group, Kristy was part of the early effort to realize free radical-mediated aryl amination. Throughout her years at IU, she worked under the umbrella of the IU STARS program, providing an early entry into the research enivironment at IU. During her undergraduate years, she was also a summer intern at Eli Lilly in Discovery Chemistry, working with Dr. Kumiko Takeuchi and Dr. Sandra Filla. In 2001, she joined GlaxoSmithKline in Research Triangle, NC, as an associate scientist. She is currently the Chemical Management Specialist for the Vanderbilt Program in Drug Discovery in the Department of Pharmacology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN.
Org. Lett. 2002, 4, 4197.

Heather Burks

Postdoctoral Scholar, 2009, UC Berkeley, CA
Ph.D. Chemistry, 2008, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
B.S. Chemistry, 2003, Indiana University, IN

Heather Burks was born and raised in Indiana, and joined the Johnston group as an undergraduate in her third year. Heather initiated the scale-up of the indoline a-amino acid synthesis based on free radical-mediated aryl amination, and began our program aimed at the investigation of their use in short peptides. In recognition of her abilities, Heather was named a Beckman Scholar, and supported for two academic years and one summer by this program. In 2003, Heather was awarded a B.S. Chemistry degree, and in 2008 received her Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of North Carolina with Jim Morken (now at Boston College). Heather was a postdoctoral scholar with Dean Toste at UC Berkeley before beginning her current position in Global Discovery Chemistry at Novartis (Cambridge, MA).
Synthesis 2005, 2, 330.

Travis Smith

B.S. Chemistry, 2004, Indiana University, IN

Travis was born and raised in Crown Point, IN. He joined the Johnston research program in 2003, and contributed to the effort in chiral proton catalysis. His accomplishment was recognized by an Eli Lilly Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship in 2004. He completed his degree requirements later that year, and Travis began studies in the IU School of Law in August 2005.

Abram Hess

B.S. Chemistry, 2007, Indiana University, IN

Abram is a Bloomington native who began at IU in 2003 as a chemistry major. Abram is an IU Stars awardee who, through this program, was able to join the Johnston group as a freshman. Abram has played a supporting role in the proton catalysis area, and was the first in the group to measure the pKa for BAM-HX Bronsted acids.
SynLett 2006, 1, 147.

Brandon Steele

B.S. Chemistry, 2004, Indiana University, IN

Brandon Steele is an Indiana native, and joined the group in his last year as an undergraduate at IU. Brandon contributed to the scale up effort for the asymmetric synthesis of the IAN amines. He graduated from IU in 2004, and began graduate studies in chemistry at the University of Idaho later that year.

Ryan Kilgore

B.S. Chemistry, 2005, Indiana University, IN

Ryan joined the Johnston group briefly as a part of a trek from a music career to Russian studies. He began at IU in the School of Music as a tuba major, but became enamored with organic chemistry after taking the lecture course as an elective. Unfortunately, the lure of Russian studies was overwhelming, and he made a final (?) diversion in that direction after an academic year spent with the group.

Carla Counceller

B.S. Chemistry, 2005, Indiana University, IN

Carla Counceller (nee Beatty) is a native of Indiana, entering IU as an undergraduate in 2001. Carla joined the group in her junior year and contributed to the scale up of the asymmetric synthesis of the IAN amines. In 2004, Carla was awarded a nationally-competitive Pfizer Summer Undergraduate Research Scholarship. Carla graduated with a B.S. Chemistry degree in 2005, and began graduate studies in organic chemistry at the Ohio State University. She completed her Ph.D. in Chemistry with James Stambuli in 2010, and accepted a position at Chemical Abstracts.
Org. Lett. 2008, 10, 2445.

Bobby Bowman

B.S. Chemistry, 2010, Vanderbilt University, TN

Robert 'Bobby' Bowman was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. He migrated eastward to Nashville in 2006 and began his undergraduate studies at Vanderbilt as a chemistry major. Bobby has been named to the Dean's List each semester and began undergraduate chemistry research in 2007, contributing to our program in catalysis. Bobby was attracted to the group by its legendary football games. Following graduation, Bobby began postgraduate studies at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York City, where he worked with Johanna Joyce studying the role of tumor associated macrophages in glioma. He is currently a postdoctoral fellow at MSK.

Aspen Chun

B.A. Chemistry, 2011, Vanderbilt, TN

Aspen is a native of California (Los Angeles) but spent the better part of her formative years in South Korea. She returned to the US in 2004, ultimately matriculating at Vanderbilt in 2008. She began research in the group in 2009, and helped with our large scale preparation of PBAM.
Org. Synth. 2012, 89, 380.

Vanessa Arredondo

B.A. Chemistry, 2012, Vanderbilt University, TN

Vanessa, born and raised in beautiful, sunny California, joined the Johnston Group in Spring 2011 as an undergraduate following an NSF-REU  summer experience with Stefan France at Georgia Tech. At Vanderbilt, she has prepared (-)-Nutlin-3, a potent p53/MDM2 inhibitor currently in development as a cancer chemotherapeutic by Hoffmann-La Roche and others, and prepared a novel analog with the cis-imidazoline backbone as one of our collaborative efforts in drug development. Vanessa is currently a graduate student in chemistry and NSF Predoctoral Fellow at the University of California, Irvine.
J. Org. Chem. 2014, 79, 6913.

Emily Wang

B.S. Chemistry (anticipated), 2015, Vanderbilt University, TN

Emily was born and raised in East Brunswick, New Jersey. She plans to enter medical school following graduation from Vanderbilt.

Zachary Carter

Zach completed his undergraduate work at Vanderbilt University, majoring in Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, with minors in biology and neuroscience. He was born and raised in Chicago, IL. Zach is a Chancellor’s Scholar and continuing Resident Advisor in the Martha Ingram Freshmen Commons. He was also the Cultural Chair of the Vanderbilt Association of Hispanic Students. Zach took organic chemistry as a Freshman and gained research experience through the Department of Epithelial Cancer Biology. In 2014 he began work with the Johnston laboratory in an effort to apply new chemical methods to the synthesis of natural products with interesting biological activity, and became a VU Beckman Scholar for May 2014-August 2015. Zach graduated in May 2016, and he begins graduate studies in computational chemistry at Yale in the Fall.

Sarah Sun

B.A. Chemistry/Applied Math, 2017, Vanderbilt University, TN

Sarah began working with the group as a junior at Vanderbilt University majoring in chemistry and applied mathematics. She has lived most of her life in Houston, TX, but was born in Norway, and has family living in China, Norway, Canada, and the United States. Sarah is a College Scholar in the College of Arts and Science. She was also public relations chair of the Vanderbilt American Chemical Society and on the executive board of the Scientific Immersion and Mentorship program. Beginning her sophomore year, she conducted research investigating the linkages between irregular patterns of RNA editing and the development of depression. In the spring of 2016 she joined the Johnston lab where her research was focused on synthesis of the chiral organocatalyst, PBAM, and its application in halolactonization reactions. Following graduation in 2017, she entered the MSTP program at the University of Chicago School of Medicine.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 1998.

Karan Goyal

B.S. Chemistry (anticipated), 2019, Vanderbilt University, TN

Karan is from Knoxville, TN and attends Vanderbilt University majoring in Chemistry with a Chinese minor. He came in as a chemical engineering major but switched after realizing it was more engineering than chemical (cE, not Ce). In his free time, he enjoys cooking, watching copious amounts of cartoons, and occasionally running. After graduating with honors in 2019, he began chemistry graduate studies at U. California, Berkeley.

Peter Shen

B.A. Biochemistry, 2022, Vanderbilt University, TN

Peter was raised in Eugene, Oregon. He is currently majoring in Biochemistry with a minor in Economics. He hopes to be an orthopedic surgeon and dreams of working at an Olympic Games in the future. Outside the lab, Peter enjoys playing tennis, running, playing piano, and spending time with friends and family.

Hannah Craft

B.A. Biochemistry & Chemical Biology (Honors), 2022, Vanderbilt University, TN

Hannah Craft is an undergrad at VU (’22) majoring in Biochemistry. She attended the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, where her interests in science and research blossomed. After being accepted into Vanderbilt’s MARC (Maximizing Access to to Research Careers) Program in the summer of 2020, she became an undergraduate researcher with the group. Hannah worked toward several analogues of ent-verticilide within our program to develop innovative antiarrhythmia therapeutics. Outside of science, she also served on the board of two student organizations at Vanderbilt, the NAACP Student Chapter and Global Medical Missions Alliance (GMMA). Hannah completed her degree with Honors in 2022 to begin medical school. Her long-term goals include an MD (and maybe her PhD), aspiring to work as a medical doctor and researcher to serve others through science.

Julius Jan

B.A. Chemistry & Cognitive Studies, 2024, Vanderbilt University, TN

Julius was born and raised in Singapore and attends Vanderbilt University majoring in cognitive studies and chemistry. He began working with the group as a sophomore in late 2021 and received an award from the Goldberg Family Immersion Fund to continue his work in the lab for the summer of 2022.

Angela Sauers

Ph.D. Chemistry, 2006, Princeton University, NJ
B.S. Chemistry, 2002, Juniata College, MI

Angela Sauers is one of three students who spent a summer with the group through the Indiana University REU program. Angela received her B.S. Chemistry degree in 2002 and entered the graduate program in chemistry at Princeton University. She completed her Ph.D. in 2006 with Stefan Bernhard, and is currently an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the University of Georgia.

Brittany Perkins

Ph.D. Chemistry, 2009, U. Arizona, AZ
B.S. Chemistry, 2004, Wheaton College, IL

Brittany Perkins is one of three students who spent a summer with the group through the Indiana University REU program. Brittany contributed to the enantioselective synthesis of the IAN amines. Brittany received her B.S. Chemistry degree in 2004 from Wheaton College and entered the graduate program in chemistry at the University of Arizona. She completed her Ph.D. in Chemistry (analytical/mass spectrometry) with Vicki Wysocki in 2009 and is currently a faculty member at Central New Mexico Community College.
Org. Lett. 2008, 10, 2445.

Courtney Conrad

B.S. Chemistry, 2005, Clarion College, IN

Courtney Conrad is one of three students who spent a summer with the group through the Indiana University REU program. Courtney contributed to the preparative scale synthesis of the IAN amines. She received her B.S. Chemistry degree in 2005 from Clarion College and entered dental school.

Daniel McMillan

Daniel McMillan was an REU participant in the Johnston lab during the summer of 2009. He will complete his bachelor's degree at New Mexico State University in 2010.

John Tellis

B.S., 2012, Elizabethtown College, PA

John is from Pottstown, Pennsylvania (not the Yuengling town...that’s Pottsville) and was supported by the NSF-REU at Vanderbilt. As a biochemistry major at Elizabethtown College, his research was directed toward the development and optimization of luminescence-based sensors. John conducted studies with chiral PBAM catalysts and their application to the Nutlin class of chemotherapeutics. John matriculated at U. Pennsylvania in their graduate program in chemistry, where he received a Ph.D. in 2016 under the mentorship of Prof. Gary Molander. In that year, he began at Genentech as a Sr. Scientist in medicinal chemistry.
J. Org. Chem. 2014, 79, 6913.

Weiwei Wang

B.S. Chemistry, 2013, Kalamazoo College, MI

Weiwei was born and raised in Nanjing, China. She enrolled at Kalamazoo College in 2009, and has worked with Professor Greg Slough as an undergraduate researcher studying solid phase synthesis. She joined us for the summer of 2012 with support from the Kalamazoo HHMI program. Weiwei developed a new reaction in our enantioselective catalysis program, for which she received 'Honors' as her Senior Individualized Project at Kalamazoo. Weiwei entered the graduate program in chemistry at Northwestern University in 2013 and joined the research group of Prof. Regan Thompson. She received her Ph.D. in Chemistry there in 2018, and accepted a position as Senior Scientist at Dow AgroSciences (IN).
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2015, 137, 7302.

Victoria Lim

B.S. Chemistry and Math (anticipated), 2015, Belmont University, TN

Vickie is from Spring Hill, Tennessee. She was an ACS SCI Scholar for the summer of 2013 at Croda, and an REU student at the University of Georgia in 2014 where she worked in the area of computational chemistry. Vickie was responsible for developing a large scale preparation of an aryl glycine donor for use in UmAS. Following a summer internship at Merck (NJ), she entered the graduate program in chemistry at UC Irvine. Vickie was very active in outreach programs at Belmont, stimulating the interest of many future scientists in the Nashville area. In 2016, Vickie was awarded the prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.
Org. Synth. 2016, 93, 88.

Jessica Zinna

B.S. Chemistry, 2016, Winthrop University, SC

Jessica is a rising senior at Winthrop University majoring in Chemistry with a Math minor, where she conducts research under the mentorship of Dr. Maria Gelabert in the field of hydrothermal crystal growth. Jessica is the president of the Winthrop chapter of Alpha Chi Sigma, a member of the honors college, and a departmental tutor. She was born in Connecticut, but spent most of her time in Ohio and South Carolina where she acquired her love for sweet tea and biscuits. In her free time Jessica enjoys baking, taking naps, eating pasta, and watching cat videos. Her postgraduate plan is still to be determined.

Danielle Boley

B.S. Biochemistry, 2017, University of Notre Dame, IN

Danielle is a senior majoring in biochemistry with a minor in bioengineering at the University of Notre Dame. She was born in Houston, Texas, and raised in Washington, Illinois. Danielle is a Balfour-Hesburgh Scholar, a Glynn Family Honors Student, and a proud member of the piccolo section in the marching band at ND. As a member of Dr. Norman Dovichi's lab, her research uses capillary electrophoresis-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry and matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry to study the metabolome of diseased tissue samples and the development of Xenopus laevis. Danielle was a researcher in the Chemical Biology REU at Vanderbilt in 2016, learning new organic chemistry research skills, working with Suzanne on the preparation of a super cool depsipeptide. After completing her undergraduate degree, Danielle plans to pursue a Ph.D. in chemistry.

Hyungyu Lee

B.A. Biochemistry/Math (anticipated), 2019, Bowdoin College, ME

Hyungyu is currently an undergraduate student at Bowdoin College, double majoring in Biochemistry and Mathematics, and minoring in Latin. He worked in Dr. Rick Broene's lab in summer 2016, attempting to synthesize a phenylphosphabenzene ligand for the improvement of a cobalt-based alpha-olefin dimerization catalyst. In his spare time, he plays music and enjoys coming up with new magic tricks. Hyungyu joined the group for summer 2017 as an NSF-REU student.

Hannah Lankswert

B.S. Chemistry (anticipated), 2019, Xavier University, OH

Hannah is from Louisville, KY and she is a junior at Xavier University majoring in chemistry. She is a University Scholar at Xavier and is part of Clare Booth Luce Program for women in science. She is getting her first taste of research this summer in the Johnston lab.
ACS Catal. 2018, 8, 11926.

Jared Mendiola

B.S. Biochemistry, 2022, Colorado College, CO

Jared is currently a graduate student at Vanderbilt University.

Cale Locicero

B.S. Chemistry (anticipated), 2023, Louisiana State University, LA

Cale is an Honors College student and rising senior majoring in chemistry at Louisiana State University. Cale is the president of the LSU Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society and a Goldwater, Astronaut, and ACS Scholar. He works in Dr. Rendy Kartika’s group at LSU where he studies the stereoselective synthesis of α-quaternary α’-hydroxyketones. After graduation, he plans to pursue a Ph.D. in chemistry.

Rakel Ang

B.S. Chemistry (anticipated), 2025, Pepperdine University, CA

Rakel is double majoring in biology and chemistry at Pepperdine University, where she has been conducting cell biology research. After graduating in 2025, she hopes to pursue a PhD in chemical biology or medicinal chemistry.

Marta Wenzler

B.S. Chemistry, 2010, St. Louis University, MO

Marta hails from Minneapolis (MN) and migrated south to Saint Louis University for her undergraduate studies where she performed undergraduate research in the laboratories of Prof. Ryan McCulla, studying the photochemical release of nitroxyl. She completed her B.S. Chemistry degree in 2010 and migrated south further still to Vanderbilt. She completed her first rotation in the group, assisting with the preparation of key intermediates in our mitomycin C synthesis.

Nina Collins

B.S. Chemistry, 2010, Xavier University, OH

A Kentucky native, Nina Collins completed her undergraduate degree in chemistry at Xavier University.  At Xavier, she was named a Clare Boothe Luce Scholar and worked toward the total synthesis of kalkitoxin with Prof. Rick Mullins. Nina entered the graduate program in chemistry in 2010 and completed her first rotation with our group, working on the scale-up of a promising anti-viral agent discovered by the Waterman Group, our collaborators in Biochemistry.

Bobby Boer

B.S. Chemistry, 2010, Loyola University, MD

Brent Whitley

B.S. Biology, 2011, Appalachian State University, NC

Brent is a native of North Carolina, where he received his B.S. in biology at Appalachian State University. While at Appalachian State, Brent investigated a blood-brain barrier efflux transporter under the guidance of Drs. Jennifer Cecile and Nathan Mowa. Brent matriculated at Vanderbilt in the summer of 2011 and joined the Johnston group for his third rotation.

Cynthia Berry (nee Bollinger)

Andrea McCollum

Jamin Keith

Caroline Braun

Adam Metts

B.A. Chemistry, 2015, Washington University, MO

Adam grew up in Clinton, Mississippi before moving to St Louis to begin his undergraduate studies. While at WashU, he worked under Dr. Kevin Moeller studying electrolytic oxidation of stilbene derivatives using amine-based catalysis, and he earned his degree in B.A. in chemistry with a concentration in biochemistry. Outside of lab, Adam likes playing the blues on his guitar, reading novels, wearing old-man sweaters, and drinking copious amounts of coffee.

Eric Huseman

B.S. Chemistry, 2014, Cedarville University, OH

Eric was born in Akron, Ohio, and began his undergraduate studies at Cedarville University in 2010 as a prepharmacy major. Three and half years later, he finally saw the light and joined Cedarville’s chemistry program. He matriculated at Vanderbilt University in 2015 and came to the Johnston group during his second rotation. During his rotation, he assisted with the synthesis of (-)-Nutlin-3 needed for further biological testing.

Scott Chapp

B.S. Chemistry, 2015, St. Lawrence University, NY
B.S. Math, 2015, St. Lawrence University, NY

Scott grew up in Des Plaines, Illinois before attending St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY. There he double majored in chemistry and math and minored in statistics. While attending St. Lawrence University, Scott conducted his undergraduate research with Dr. Adam Hill where he focused on synthesizing heterobimetallic Co/Zr complexes supported by phosphinoamide ligands for artificial photosynthesis. When Scott isn’t in lab, he enjoys hiking, fishing, golfing and playing hockey.

Benjamin Mueller

B.S. Biochemistry, 2015, Auburn University, AL

Ben was born in Cannes, France, and grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. He left North Carolina to attend Auburn University, where he received a B.S. degree in biochemistry, with a minor in French. While at Auburn, he worked on elucidating the biosynthetic pathways of tetrapyrroles under the direction of Dr. Steven Mansoorabadi. When not in lab, he enjoys watching sports and traveling.

Isaiah Speight

B.S. Chemistry, 2016, Norfolk State University, VA

Isaiah was born and raised in Portsmouth, Virginia and attended Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Virginia, where he received a B.S. in Chemistry in 2016. During the summer of 2015, Isaiah was an REU student at Vanderbilt University working with the Townsend Research group on functionalizing galactooligosaccharides. He completed his first rotation with us during summer 2016.

John Terrell

B.S. Chemistry, 2016, Univ. North Carolina, Asheville, NC

John was born in Little Rock, Arkansas and grew up in Knoxville, TN. He received a B.S. in Chemistry at UNC Asheville and conducted natural product synthesis research on depsidones under Dr. Amanda Wolfe. He started his graduate career at Vanderbilt in 2016. John enjoys playing and watching sports of any kind (though he doesn't really understand rhythmic gymnastics) and most outdoor activities.

Carson Reed

B.S. Biochemistry, 2015, College of Charleston, SC
B.A. Chemistry, 2015, College of Charleston, SC

Carson was born in Charleston, SC. He performed research with Dr. Justin Wyatt at the College of Charleston focusing on the synthesis of novel bis-indenyl ligands for polymerization catalysis. Carson received a B.S. in Biochemistry and a B.A. in Chemistry from the College of Charleston in 2015. From 2015-2016, he worked as a research assistant synthesizing small molecules for treating retinitis pigmentosa with Dr. Craig Beeson’s small therapeutic company (MitoChem Therapeutics) at the Medical University of South Carolina. He entered Vanderbilt’s chemistry graduate program in 2016. One interesting fact about Carson is that it is said that he learned how to play the jazz flute from Ron Burgundy himself.

Schuyler Chambers

B.S., 2016, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, NE

Schuyler is from Los Angeles, California and received her B.S. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  Her undergraduate research focused on the synthesis of peroxide-containing fatty acid analogs and was conducted under the guidance of Dr. Patrick Dussault.  When she is not in lab, she likes to travel, read classic literature, and hangout outdoors.

Maggie Jones

B.S. Chemistry, 2016, University of South Florida, FL

Maggie was born in Indianapolis, but grew up in sunny Tampa, Florida. She attended undergraduate at the University of South Florida, where she worked under Dr. Chad Dickey studying chaperone-mediated tau protein degradation in pathologies such as Alzheimer ’s disease and depression. Later during her undergraduate career she moved on to pursue her love for chemical synthesis under the supervision of Dr. Ed Turos, where she worked to synthesize a library of asymmetric disulfide inhibitors of the FabH enzyme, a target of antibiotic resistance. When she is not working tirelessly in the lab, Maggie enjoys concerts, baking cookies and going to the beach.

Josh Elder

B.A. Chemistry, 2017, Oberlin College, OH

Josh left his home in Highland Park, IL to go to Oberlin College for his undergraduate studies. During his final year in Oberlin, he worked in the lab of Prof. Robert Q. Thompson analyzing soil samples for their organochlorine pesticide content by adapting EPA Method 8081B. For part of his time in Oberlin, Josh was also majoring in Music Theory. Outside of lab, he enjoys playing music (piano and percussion) and writing arrangements for marching bands, baking, and playing board games.

Shelby Evans

B.S Chemistry, 2017, Ohio Northern University, OH

Shelby is from Cedarville, Ohio. She received her B.S. in Chemistry from Ohio Northern University in 2017. At ONU, she worked on synthesizing and optimizing a class of fluorescent chromones for use as chemical sensors, particularly for the detection of fluoride and lead. In her free time, Shelby enjoys playing with her two Australian Shepherds and watching HGTV.

Danielle Penk

B.S. Chemistry , 2017, Berry College, GA

Danielle is from Atlanta, Georgia. She was awarded her ACS-approved B.S. in Chemistry at Berry College in 2017. While at Berry, Danielle worked on the asymmetric synthesis of piperidines with Dr. Mark Turlington for 2 years. She entered the graduate program in chemistry at Vanderbilt in 2017. She loves running and rock climbing and BAM catalysis, not necessarily in that order.

Cal Larson

B.S. Chemical Sciences, 2017, Xavier University, OH

Cal was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There he attended Marquette University High School and graduated in 2013. He moved to Cincinnati to attend the great Xavier University and graduated with a B.S. in Chemical Sciences in 2017. He spent two summers working in Xavier's Vector Ecology Lab, studying how West Nile Virus is vectored in Cincinnati. He matriculated at Vanderbilt in 2017. In the days when he had free time, he enjoyed watching the Green Bay Packers, studying Game of Thrones and predicting its ending. He would spend his Saturday nights grilling, however his apartment complex has not had a working grill in 3 months.

Bailey Bowser

B.S. Chemistry, 2018, Butler University, IN

Bailey was raised in the countryside of Charlestown, Indiana. In 2018 she received her ACS-Approved B.S. in Chemistry from Butler University, Go Dawgs! At Butler, Bailey worked with Dr. Stacey O’Reilly on the synthesis and optimization of a polymer bound copper catalyst. In the summer of 2018, she participated in an REU with Dr. Gautam Gupta at the University of Louisville and worked on understanding the fundamentals of the hydrogen evolution reaction. Bailey is excited about her first year of graduate school and completing her first rotation in the Johnston lab.

Joseph Cleland

M.A.T. Secondary Education, 2018, Georgia College and State University, GA
B.S. Chemistry & Biology, 2017, Georgia College and State University, GA

Joseph was born and raised in the rural town of Sylvester, GA.  He received his B.S. in Chemistry and Biology from Georgia College and State University. His undergraduate research was in the fields of organic and analytical chemistry. The organic chemistry research included developing and optimizing a procedure to identify ketones and aldehydes using techniques that were available prior to the advent of H-NMR and IR spectroscopy. The analytical chemistry research included developing and optimizing a procedure to determine the pKa of phenol red using UV-Vis Spectroscopy. Joseph’s hobbies include playing board games, hiking, and visiting new places.

Elizabeth Adams

B.S. Chemistry, 2019, Augusta University, GA

Elizabeth was born and raised in North Augusta, SC. She received her B.S. in Chemistry in 2019 from Augusta University in Augusta, GA. During her time at Augusta, Elizabeth worked on a project with Dr. Angie Spencer and Dr. Nevin Lambert studying the interactions between serotonin GPCRs and G proteins. She entered the graduate program in chemistry at Vanderbilt in 2019. In her spare time, she enjoys nature, listening to Led Zeppelin, and a nice cup of coffee.

Alexander Hughes

Chemical Engineering, 2019, Northeastern University, MA

Alex was born and raised in South Windsor, CT. He received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Northeastern University in Boston, MA. While there he spent eight months on co-op designing improved routes to lead inhibitors at Morphic Therapeutic in Waltham, MA. He also spent a second eight months developing electrochemical nickel-catalyzed coupling reactions in Pfizer’s Process Chemistry group in Groton, CT. In his free time he enjoys playing disc golf and running.

Raven Dean

B.S. Chemistry, 2020, Georgia Southern University, GA

Raven was born and raised in Savannah, GA. In the summer of 2020, she completed her undergraduate career at Georgia Southern University-Armstrong Campus where she conducted research on the organic synthesis of flavonols and polymers under Dr. Sarah Zingales. She promptly started her graduate career at Vanderbilt University in Fall 2020. When she is not in the lab, she likes to be at home watching video game livestreams.

Abiodun 'Samuel' Oyedele

M.S. Chemistry, 2020, Tennessee State University, TN and B. Tech Biochemistry, 2018, Federal University of Technology Akure, Nigeria

Samuel was born and raised in Nigeria. He studied biochemistry as an undergrad at the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria, where he performed a thesis project in Dr. Ayodele Kolawole’s enzymology lab. He investigated the effects of heat treatment on the activities of Shorghum sp. beta-amylase. In 2018, he proceeded to the Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN, where he obtained his M.S. Chemistry under the tutelage of Prof. Cosmas Okoro. At the Okoro Lab, his research niche was synthesis of organic compounds (acridone derivatives) that use the trifluoromethyl group to enhance lipophilicity, stability, and bioavailability of potential drug molecules. In collaboration with Prof. Neil Osheroff’s biochemistry lab at Vanderbilt University, enzyme assays were used to study the activities of the synthesized acridones on topoisomerase II. After his 2020 graduation at TSU, he trained in Prof. Alison Ondrus’ lab at Caltech in chemical biology. There he explored synthetic routes to bifunctional photoaffinity probes for 25-hydroxycholesterols (oxysterols) as tools to study their unique roles in transcriptional regulation and innate immunity. Samuel joined the group for his first rotation in Summer 2021. He enjoys music (mostly country gospel songs), ping-pong (table tennis), and networking.

Madelyn James

B.S. Biochemistry, 2021, Auburn University, AL

Madelyn is from Birmingham, Alabama, and graduated from Auburn University in 2021 where she earned a B.S. in Biochemistry. Her undergraduate research experience under the direction of Dr. Chris Easley consisted of the use and optimization of electrochemical biosensors designed for the quantification of targeted biomolecules in human serum. In her free time, she enjoys reading and spending time with family and friends.

Nicole Brandau

B.S. Biochemistry, 2021, Samford University, AL

Nicole was born and raised in Fishers IN, and attended Samford University in Birmingham AL, where she earned her B.S. in Biochemistry with minors in Biology and Chemistry. At Samford, she conducted research in the biology department under the direction of Dr. Rita Malia Fincher, in kinesiology under the direction of Dr. Mallory Marshall, and in the department of chemistry and biochemistry under the direction of Dr. Paul Wiget. In the Wiget laboratory, her work involved the synthesis of analogues of different natural products. In her free time she enjoys rock climbing, hiking, and spending time with friends and family.

Austin Leitgeb

B.S. Chemistry, 2021, Villanova University, PA

Austin is from Syracuse, NY and received his BS in Chemistry from Villanova University in 2021. While there, he conducted research under Dr. Kevin Minbiole focusing on synthesizing a library of novel amphiphilic compounds in order to determine their antimicrobial properties. In his free time, he enjoys skiing, hiking, and playing chess.

Julie Talbert

B.S. Biochemistry, 2021, Salisbury University, MD

Julie is from Eden, MD and received her B.S. in Biochemistry from Salisbury University in 2021. In her undergraduate research, Julie worked with Dr. Jose Juncosa on the synthesis of a potential agonist of the 5-HT2A receptor of serotonin. She began at Vanderbilt in Fall 2021. In her free time, she enjoys playing with her dog, Hazel, and hanging out with friends and family.

Taylor Estock

B.S., 2022, Lafayette College, Easton, PA

Savannah Familo

B.A. Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, 2022, Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, PA

Jennifer Obike

B.S., 2022, UNC Greensboro, Greensboro, NC

Caitlin Thebeault

B.S. Chemistry, 2022, Ohio Northern University, Ada, OH

Max Hughes

B.S. in Chemistry & Biochemistry, 2023, University of Rochester, NY

Maxwell grew up in Bliss, NY, in the rural outskirts of Buffalo, NY. He obtained a B.S. in Chemistry and a B.S. in Biochemistry at the University of Rochester in May 2023. As an undergraduate, he conducted research under the supervision of Dr. Alison Frontier, working towards a novel application of the Nazarov cyclization. In his free-time he enjoys running, biking, and listening to live music.

Stuart Regitz

B.S. in Chemistry, 2023, James Madison University,VA

Stu was born in Raleigh, NC but raised in Downingtown, a suburb of Philadelphia, PA. He received a B.S. in Chemistry with a minor in Mathematics at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. While at JMU, he conducted research focused on the synthesis and characterization of hemilabile, bidentate ligands for use in organometallic catalysis under Drs. Donna Amenta and John Gilje. Stu began his graduate career at Vanderbilt in fall of 2023. Outside of the lab, Stu enjoys fly fishing, drinking good coffee, hiking, and disc golf.

Nourhan Abo Omar

B.S. in Biomedical Sciences with a concentration in Drug Design and Development, 2023 , the university of Science, Technology & Innovation in Zewail City, Egypt.

 Nourhan grew up in Giza, Egypt and got her B.S. in Biomedical Sciences with a concentration in Drug Design and Development from Zewail City of Science and Technology. During her undergraduate journey, she worked on 2 research manuscripts, one of them as a first co-author. The research was conducted in the drug design and discovery laboratory under supervision of Prof. Reem Arafa for computational drug discovery of dual IDO1/TDO2 inhibitors using pharmacophore-based virtual screening. The second study was conducted under the supervision of Prof. Nagwa El-Badri, for development of the mitochondrial temperature as a Biomarker for Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Nourhan loves listening to music, singing, and playing piano in her free time. 

Sara Jung

B.S. Chemistry, 2024, Boston College, MA.
Sarah is from Los Angeles, California and earned her B.S. in Chemistry from Boston College. At BC, she worked for Dr. X. Peter Zhang on dehydrogenative radical homocoupling of hydrazones via metalloradical catalysis. Outside of the lab, Sarah enjoys baking and going to the beach.

J. Reed Tucker

B.S. Chemistry, 2024, Berry College, GA
Reed is from Knoxville, TN, and earned his B.S. in Chemistry with a minor in Psychology from Berry College in May 2024. While there, he conducted research under Dr. Mark Turlington, focusing on the synthesis of Aurora A targeting PROTACs. In Fall 2024, Reed began his graduate studies at Vanderbilt. Outside of the lab, Reed enjoys baking, hiking, and playing board games.