Carnegie Mellon University

Placement of Ph.D. Recipients

Ph.D. graduates from the Department of Chemistry are prepared for success in a wide range of careers in academic, industry, and national laboratories.

2024

Evgeny Gutkin

Kurnikova Group
Computational Approaches in Drug Design
Now a Senior Associate Scientist at TandemAI

Nisha Hasija

Armitage Group
Fluorescent Tools for Process Development of Antibody-Drug Conjugates

Jaepil Jeong

Das/Matyjaszewski Groups
Controlled Synthesis of Nucleic Acid-Polymer Hybrids via Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization

Kriti Kapil

Matyjaszewski Group
Synthesis of Protein-Polymer Hybrids by Aqueous Photo Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization
Now a Sr. Research Scientist at Dow Chemical

Zhen Jack Liu

Isayev Group
Machine Learning for Organic Molecular Property and Reactivity Prediction
Now a Machine Learning Scientist at insitro

Zhongyu Liu

Jin Group
Near-infrared Photoluminescence and Electron-Phonon Interactions of Atomically Precise Gold Nanoclusters
Now a Postdoctoral Researcher at Stanford University

Jared Paris

Guo Group
Biochemical and Spectroscopic Studies of Iron Containing Metalloenzymes: Expanding the Realms of Iron Enzyme Catalysis
Now a Postdoctoral Associate at MIT

Rachel Smolinski

McDonough Group
Trace organic contaminants in residential wastewater and their fate in onsite waster water treatment systems: a nontarget analysis approach to micropollutant identification
Now at the Environmental Protection Agency

Walker Vickery

Sydlik Group
Preparation of Polymer-Grafted Graphene Oxide Nanocomposites and Degradation of Graphenic Materials

Shuming Zhang

Garcia Bosch Group
Cu-promoted C-H Bond Hydroxylation: Drawing Inspiration from Cu-dependent Metalloenzymes

2023

Isha Dhami

Ly Group
Development of Programmable Gamma Peptide Nucleic Acids
Now a Scientist at BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc.

Hannah Frame

Collins Group
TAML catalysis for a safer environment: oxidative transformations of natural and anthropogenic aqueous micropollutants
Now a Physical Scientist at United States Environmental Protection Agency

Jamie Gaitor

Noonan Group
Anion Exchange Membranes derived from Phosphonium and Ammonium-Functionalized Polynorbornenes
Now a Senior Research and Development Scientist at Celanese

Manami Kawakami

Noonan Group
Design, Synthesis, and Characterization of Ester-Functionalized Group 16 Conjugated Polymers and Macrocycles
Now an Engineer II at Nano and Advanced Materials Institute Ltd.

Tong Liu

Matyjaszewski Group
Functional Polymer Materials by ATRP: Preparation and Applications in Lithium Metal Batteries
Now a Battery Scientist at Ampcera Inc.

Luke Monroe

Sullivan Group
Determining Composition and Chemical Reactions of Particles in the Atmosphere Using Single Particle Instrumentation
Now a Postdoctoral researcher at University of Missouri, Kansas City

Stephen Schmidt

Sydlik Group
Polymers and Functional Graphenic Materials to Remediate Heavy Metal Exposure and Toxicity
Now an Advanced Materials Researcher at Braskem

Megan Van Horn

Kietrys Group
Investigating Circular RNAs in Humans: Their Roles and Interactome in Parkinson’s Disease Progression
Now a Bioinformatics Researcher at CMU Cloud Lab

Tong Wu

Garcia Bosch Group
Cooperativity of Redox-Active Ligands and Cu: Synthesis, Characterization, and Reactivity of Mononuclear Cu Complexes
Now a Postdoctoral researcher at MIT

Shan Xue

Guo Group
Spectroscopic and Computational Studies of H2 generating biomimetic model complexes

2022

Michael Bautista

Noonan Group
Refining Synthetic Strategies in Suzuki-Miyaura Catalyst Transfer Polycondensation
Now a Product Development Scientist at Parker Lord

Bailey Bowers

Sullivan Group
Understanding Everyday – Everywhere Chemicals and their Transformation Products via High Resolution Mass Spectrometry of Environmentally-Relevant Matrices
Now an Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Oberlin College & Conservatory

Stephen DiLuzio

Bernhard Group
Investigating Photophysical and Photochemical Structure-Activity Relationships of Heteroleptic Ir(III) Transition Metal Complexes Using High-throughput and Automated Techniques
Now a BioLEC Postdoc at Northeastern University

Xiang-Sha Du

Jin Group
On the transition from nonmetallic to metallic state in metal nanoclusters
Now a Senior Scientist at Waters Corporation

Karoline Eckhart

Sydlik Group
Development of Functional Polypeptide and Graphenic Materials for Biomedical Applications
Now a Senior Scientist at L’Oréal

Christopher Kottke

Kurnikova Group
Novel Methods for the Design and Analysis of Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Protein Systems
Now at Congruence Therapeutics

Stephanie Kramer

Peteanu Group
Characterization of Heterogeneity in Polymer Systems using Optical Spectroscopy and Fluorescence Microscopy
Now a Postdoctoral Scholar at Case Western Reserve University

Eric Lopato

Bernhard Group
Exploring Multidimensional Chemical Spaces in Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolving Reactions
Now a Senior Analytical Chemist at Mattiq

Michael Martinez

Matyjaszewski Group
Macromolecular Engineering and Depolymerization by Reversible Deactivation of Radical Polymerization
Now a Research Chemist, Expert at PPG

Saeed Moayedpour

Marom (MSE) Group
Structure Prediction of Epitaxial Interfaces
Now a Data Scientist at Sanofi

Mateusz Olszewski

Matyjaszewski Group
Molecular Bottlebrushes for Biorelevant Applications
Now a Scientist at NIRvana Sciences

Alexander Pearse

Armitage/Achim Groups
Peptide Nucleic Acids (PNA) and Metal-Mediated PNA and their Applications within Tile Based Nanostructures and G. Quadruplex Forming Targets
Now a Technical Specialist at Stern Kessler Goldstein & Fox PLLC

Mingkang Sun

Matyjaszewski Group
Photochemical and Chemical Cocatalysts for Cu-Catalyzed ATRP: From Cocatalyst Properties to Polymerization Mechanisms
Now at Dow Chemical

Megan Treichel

Noonan Group
Designing Phosphonium & Sulfoxonium-Functionalized Polynorbornenes for Alkaline Stable Anion-Exchange Materials
Now a Research Chemist at Lubrizol

Wen Wen

Marom (MSE) Group
Structure Prediction and Design of organic/inorganic Interfaces from First Principle
Now an Applied Scientist at Microsoft

2021

Saborni Biswas

Hendrich Research Group
Spectroscopy and DFT calculations of bimetallic complexes and biomolecules involved in small molecule activation
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Researcher, Pennsylvania State University

Chris Childs

Washburn Research Group
Design and Optimization of Cementitious Systems with Machine Learning
Last Known Position: Research Engineer, Ansatz AI

JULIA CUTHBERT

Matyjaszewski Research Group
Structurally Tailored and Engineered Macromolecular (STEM) Gels as a New Class of Functional Materials

Andrew DeYoung

Kim Research Group 
Molecular Dynamics Simulation Studies of Graphene Oxide Supercapacitors 

Site Li

Jin Research Group
Electrocatalysis with atomically precise metal nanoclusters
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Research Assistant, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Yingwei Li

Jin Research Group
Atomically Precise Metal Nanoclusters: Synthesis, Properties, Assembly and Catalytic Application
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Researcher, Harvard

Velabo Mduli

Bernhard Research Group
Development of High-Throughput Screening Techniques of Iridium (III) Photocatalysts for Visible-Light Driven Chemical Transformations
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Researcher, Merk & Co.

Chad Ratterman

Das Research Group
Synthesis and Evaluation of Non-Canonical Substrates for Lariat Debranching Enzym
Last Known Position: Process Development Scientist, Nitto Denko Avecia

Srijani Sarkar

Armitage Research Group
Binding of Gamma PNA to Targets Derived from Viral and Human Genome
Last Known Position: Postdoctral Researcher, National Cancer Institute

Sajjad Dadashi Silab

Matyjaszewski Research Group
External Control in Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Researcher, Cornell University

Anthony Varni

Kowalewski/Noonan Research Groups
Design, Synthesis, and Properties of Furan-Based Conjugated Materials
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Researcher, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Mingyi Wang

Donahue Research Group
Mechanisms Driving New Particle Formation Throughout the Troposphere
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Research Associate, Cal Tech

2020

Liye Fu

Matyjaszewski Group
Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization under Biologically Relevant Conditions 
Last Known Position: Scientist I, Singular Genomics

Lydia JahL

Sullivan Group
Understanding the Sources and Transformations of Ice Nucleating Particles and Trace Reactive Gases in Biomass-Burning Emissions
Last Known Position: Science and Policy Associate at Green Science Policy Institute, Berkeley

Leif Jahn

Sullivan Research Group
Biomass-burning and Volcanic Ash Aerosols: Atmospheric Aging, Chemical Reactivity, and Ice-Nucleation Ability
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Texas, Austin

Dmytro Kolodieznyi

Armitage and Bruchez Research Groups
Chemogenetic approaches for interrogation and influence of biological systems
Last Known Position: Scientific Developer, Emerald Cloud Lab

Sushil Lathwal

Matyjaszewski Research Group
Development of Polymer Biohybrids for Biomedical Applications
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, MIT

Dinithi Perera

Ly Research Group
Design, Synthesis and Application of Bivalent Nucleic Acid Ligands Towards the Treatment of Repeat Expansion Diseases
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Yale University

Meredith Schervish

Donahue Research Group
Modeling Peroxy Radical Chemistry Using the Volatility Basis Set to Understand Trends in New Particle Formation
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Associate, University of California, Irvine

Yogesh Somasundar

Collins Research Group
On the mechanism and quantitative toxicity evolution of catalytic TAML and NewTAML Hydrogen Peroxide oxidative destruction of micropollutants in river water and municipal wastewater
Last Known Position: Module Engineer at Intel

Yijie Tang

Guo Group
Spectroscopic Studies and Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Mononuclear Dioxygen Activation Enzymes
Last Known Position: Software Engineer at Tripadvisor

Yi Wang

Matyjaszewski Research Group
Low ppm Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization in Dispersed Media and Electrochemically Mediated Reversible Addition-Fragmentation Chain-Transfer Polymerization
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Researcher, Peking University (Beijing)

Zoe Wright

Sydlik Research Group
Therapeutic Methacrylic Monomers and Functional Graphenic Materials as Bioactive Additives to Medical Adhesives
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill

Rui Yuan

Matyjaszewski Research Group
Heteroatom-Doped Nanocarbons Derived from Polyacrylonitrile-Based Structures
Last Known Position: Research Chemist I, PPG

2019

Anne Arnold

Biologically Inspired Functional Graphenic Materials and Polymers for Tissue Regeneratiom and Energy Applications
Advisor: S. Sydlik
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Associate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Matthew Baker

Noonan Research Group
Development and Mechanistic Understanding of Nickel-catalyzed Suzuki Catalyst Transfer Polycondensation
Last Known Position: Dow Chemical

April Berlyoung

Armitage Research Group
Secondary Structure Analysis of Intra- and Intermolecular Guanine Quadruplexes and Targeting through Complementary and Homologous Binding using Peptide Nucleic Acid
Last Known Position: Scientist at Tempus Laboratories

Mae Alexandra Carpenter

Synthesis and Validation of Tie-dyes for the detection of Synapses
Advisor: M. Bruchez
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Researcher at Wright State University

Ruixi Fan

Guo Research Group
Spectroscopic Study and Computational Modeling on Metallocofactors and Synthetic Model Complexes for Small-molecule Activation
Last Known Position: Research Engineer, Etsy

Tatsuya Higaki

Jin Research Group
Quantum State Manipulation of Atomically-Precise Gold Nanoclusters by Controlling Size and Structure
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, Berkeley

Qi Li

Tailoring the Atomic Structure, Self-Assembly, and Optical Property of Gold Nanoclusters
Advisor: R. Jin
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Associate, Stanford University

Sipei Li

Matyjaszewski Research Group
Functional Polymers for Lithium Metal Batteries
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Associate, MIT

Jiannan Liu

Computational Study of Structure and Dynamics of Ionic Liquids
Advisor: H. Kim
Last Known Position: 
Postdoctoral Associate, MIT

Chamali Narangoda

Kurnikova Research Group
A Computational Study of AMPA Receptor Complexes: Non-competitive Inhibition and Interaction with CKAMP44

Kedar Perkins

Synthesis, Characterization, and Applications of Polymer-Grafted Lignin Surfactants
Advisor: N. Washburn
Last Known Position: Research Scientist, Eurofins

Zhongyu Wang

Matyjaszewski Research Group
Functional Inorganic Nanoparticle/Polymer Hybrid Materials: Synthesis, Characterization and Self-Assembly Behavior
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Qing Ye

Atmospheric Orgaic Aerosols: Formation, Mixing, and Human Exposure
Advisors: N. Donahue & R. Sullivan
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Associate, MIT

2018

Sikandar Abbas

Peteanu Research Group
Plasmonically Enhances Photostability in Organic Fluorophores

Yookyung Bae

Achim Research Group
Supramolecular Structures based on PNA and Metal Complexes
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Pittsburgh

Eric Gottlieb

Experimental and Computational Explorations of Structural Catalytic Activity Relationships in Functional Nanocarbons Derived from Polyacylonitrile Containing Polymers
Advisors: T. Kowalewski and D. Yaron
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Associate, University of Delaware, (Thomas Epps, Chemical Engineering)

Andria Fortney

Beyond Polythiophenes: Exploring the Impact of Precisely Controlled Microstructure of Group 16 Conjugated Polymers on their Supramolecular Organization and Properties
Advisor: T. Kowalewski
Last Known Position: R & D Senior Research Chemist, King Industries

Wei-Che Hsieh 

Synthesis and Biomedical Applications of Gamma Peptide Nucleic Acid
Advisor: D. Ly
Last Known Position: Principal Engineer, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company

Haichen Li

On Developing Cost-Efficient Computational Solutions to Physical Chemistry Problems
Advisor: D. Yaron
Last Known Position: Software Engineer, Amazon

Stephanie Mack

Biochemical Investigation of Lariat Debranching Enzyme and Spliceosomal RNA Through the Use of Backbone Branched RNA
Advisor: S.R. Das
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Research Associate at Cancer Research UK (CRUK) at the University of Cambridge

Samaneh Mesbahi-Vasey

Modeling Glutamate Receptors Structure-Function Relationships
Advisor: M. Kurnikova
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Associate, Institute for Protein Research, Harvard University

Logan Plath

Bier Research Group
Heavy Ion Mass Spectrometry Incorporating Superconducting Tunnel Junctions
Last Known Position: Research Scientist, PPG Industries

Michael Polen

Investigating the Chemistry and Chemical Aging that Affects Ice Nucleating Particles in the Atmosphere
Advisor: R. Sullivan
Last Known Position: 
Lecturer, McDaniel College

Thomas Ribelli

Development of Highly Active and Selective Copper Catalysts for New ATRP Initiating Systems
Advisor: K. Matyjaszewski
Last Known Position: Senior Polymer Chemist, Avery Dennison

Serzhan Sakipov

Molecular Modeling: Studies Investigating Mechanisms Behind the Function of Biological Macromolecules
Advisor: M. Kurnikova
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Associate, Carnegie Mellon University (Maria Kurnikova)

Artur Sargun

Metal-Modified Peptide Nucleic Acids with Applications in Supramolecular Chemistry and Nanotechnology
Advisor: C. Achim
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Associate, MIT (Elizabeth Nolan)

Woong Young So

Emission Mechanism of Silicon Nanoparticles
Advisor: L. Peteanu
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Associate, NIH/National Cancer Institute (Randice Tanner)

Chia-Hua Tsai

Chemical Strategies and Controlled Synthesis of Thiophene-based Organic Electronics for Property Tuning
Advisor: K. Noonan
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Associate, Colorado State University (Eugene Chen)

Guojun Xie

Molecular Bottlebrushes as Novel Materials
Advisor: K. Matyjaszewski
Last Known Position: Senior Chemist, Dow Chemical Co

Jiajun Yan

Polymer Hybrid Materials: Preparation and Properties
Advisor: K. Matyjaszewski
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Scholar, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (Brett Helms)

Shuo Zhao

Jin Research Group
Electrocatalytic Applications of Atomically Precise Gold Nanoclusters

2017

Hadi Abroshan

Molecular Modeling of Nanostructures, Polymer Electrolytes, and Ionic Liquids for Energy, Environmental, and Catalysis Applications
Advisor: H. J. Kim
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Researcher, Georgia Institute of Technology (Jean-Luc Bredas, Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics)
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Associate, Stanford University, SUNCAT Center for Interface Science and Catalysis

Adam Ahern

Atmospheric Aging of Biomass-Burning Aerosol: Oxidants, Oxidation Products, and Measurement Methods
Advisors: N. Donahue and R. Sullivan
Last Known Position: Research Associate, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Carnegie Mellon University (Neil Donahue)

Taylor Canady

Reversible and Selective Bimolecular Interactions Using Gamma PNA
Advisor: B. Armitage
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Fellow in the Omics Nanotechnology for Cancer Precision Medicine theme at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology

Yuxiang Chen

Controlling Metal Nanoclusters with Atomic Precision and Their Catalytic Applications
Advisor: R. Jin
Last Known Position: Director's Postdoctoral Fellow, Los Alamos National Laboratory (Jennifer Martinez)

Dilhara Jayarathna

Organization of inorganic complexes in supramolecular structures based on peptides and peptide nucleic acids
Advisor: C. Achim Research
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Associate, Carnegie Mellon University, (Rebecca Taylor, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering)


Pawel Krys

Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization: From Mechanistic Investigations to Materials and Applications
Advisor: K. Matyjaszewski
Last Known Position: Research Chemist, PPG Industries

Christian Legaspi

Spectroscopic and Computational Investigation of Emissive Materials for Applications in Organic Light-Emitting Devices
Advisor: L. Peteanu and D. Yaron
Last Known Position: Science Curriculum Designer, IXL Learning

Mo Li

Iridium Complexes with Novel Ligand Architectures for Efficient and Robust Water Oxidation Catalysis
Advisor: S. Bernhard
Last Known Position: M.S. Student, Computational Biology, Carnegie Mellon University

Isaac Mills

Synthetic Tuning of the Properties of Transition Metal Complexes Toward Solar Energy Conversion Applications
Advisor: S. Bernhard
Last Known Position: Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Mount St. Mary’s University

Matharishwan Naganbabu

Development of Fluorogens for the Detection of Physiological Analytes
Advisor: M. Bruchez
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Researcher, Oregon Health and Science University
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, Berkeley (Evan Miller)

Jonathan Porras

Judicious Design of Transition Metal Complexes for Photochemical Energy Conversion
Advisor: S. Bernhard
Last Known Position: Assistant Professor, Drew University

Heather Stout

Judicious Design of Transition Metal Complexes for Photochemical Energy Conversion
Advisors: C. Achim and E. Münck
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Associate, University of Pittsburgh (Tara Meyer)

Selma Ulku

Next Generation Peptide Nucleic Acids for Charge and Spin Transport Studies
Advisor: C. Achim
Last Known Position: R&D Chemist, W.R. Grace & Co.

Genoa Warner

Synthesis, Properties, and Reactivity of Sulfonamide New TAML Oxidation Catalysts
Advisor: T. Collins
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Andrew Weitz

Spectroscopy and DFT Calculations of a Flavo-Diiron Enzyme Identify New Structures and NO Intermediates of the NO Reduction Cycle

Advisor: M. Hendrich
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Associate, Boston University

Jon Willcox

Molecular Dynamics Analysis of a Hydrogen-Bonding Ionic Liquid and of Water in Graphene Oxide Membranes
Advisor: H. Kim
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Associate, Harvard Medical School

Charles Tyler Womble

Synthesis, Characterization, and Polymerization of Tetrakis(dialkylamino)phosphonium Cations
Advisor: K. Noonan
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Associate, New York University (Marcus Weck)

Eric Wu

Spectroscopic and Molecular Dynamics Study of Solvation and Translational Dynamics in Ionic Liquids
Advisors: H. J. Kim and L. Peteanu
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, Berkeley (Graham Fleming)

2016

Danielle Chirdon

Development of New Iridium Photosensitizers and Organic Heterocycles: Building from Basic Electronic Structure Towards Energy Applications
Advisor: S. Bernhard
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, The Ohio State University

Matthew DeNardo

Gaining Insight into the Design of Oxidation Catalysis by Comparing the Rate and Equilibrium Constants that Define the Technical Performance of a Suite of TAML Activators Including Design Related Studies for Environmental Performance
Advisor: T. Collins
Last Known Position: Independent Scientific Advisor
Previous Position: Co-Founder, Iron City Oxidations

Sourav Kumar Dey

Biochemical and Single Molecule Studies of Backbone Branched RNAs and Lariat Debranching Enzyme
Advisors: S. Das and L. Peteanu
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Cornell Weill Medical School

Munira Fouz

Bright Fluorescent Nanotags for Bio-Imaging and Detection
Advisors: B. Armitage and S. Das
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, NIH (Dan Appella)

Jianjun He

Utilizing Malachite Green Derivatives to Diversify Fluorogen-Activating Proteins’ Applications
Advisor: M. Bruchez
Last Known Position: Senior Fellow, Abmart, Shanghai

Melissa Lamson

The Application of Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization to Improve the Preparation of Porous Polymer-Based Materials
Advisor: K. Matyjaszewski
Last Known Position: Ph.D. Development Program, BASF

Matthew Mills

Synthesis, Characterization and Unique Properties of a Completely Aliphatic TAML Activator and New Application of TAMLs for Oxygen Evolution and Pollution Remediation
Advisor: T. Collins
Last Known Position: Associate Scientist, Philliips 66
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Missouri

Stanley Oyaghire

Recognition of Guanine Quadruplexes by PNA and Gamma-PNA Oligomers
Advisor: B. Armitage
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Yale University (Peter Glazer)

Sangwoo Park

Electrochemically Controlled Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization and Synthesis with Complex Architectures
Advisor: K. Matyjaszewski

Yunyan Qiu

Diversifying Catalysts, Monomers, Cross-Coupling Strategies and Functional Groups in the Controlled Synthesis of Conjugated Polymers
Advisors: T. Kowalewski and K. Noonan
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Northwestern University (Frasier Stoddart)

Liang Tang

Activating Oxygen and Degrading the Water Treatment Industry’s Most Challenging Micropollutant with TAML Activators and Oxidants
Advisor: T. Collins
Last Known Position: Process Technology Development Engineer, Intel Corporation

Joshua Worch

Well-Defined Semiconducting Materials with Stabilized Molecular Orbitals: Thiaphospholes to Polythiophenes
Advisor: K. Noonan
Last Known Position: Marie Curie Research Fellow, University of Birmingham
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Warwick (Andrew Dove)

Chenjie Zeng

Precision at the Nanoscale: On the Structure and Property Evolution of Gold Nanoclusters
Advisor: R. Jin
Last Known Position: NatureNet Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Pennsylvania

2015

Joanna Burdynska

Controlling Architecture in Molecular Bottlebrushes
Advisor: K. Matyjaszewski
Last Known Position: Electrolyte Chemist, Blue Current, Inc.

Hongkun He

Functional Porous Polymers and Poly(ionic liquid)s: Synthesis, Characterization, and Application for CO2 Capture
Advisor: K. Matyjaszewski
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, MIT (Paula Hammond, Department of Chemical Engineering, MIT Institute for Soldier Nanotechnology, MIT's Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research)

Orsolya Karácsony

Design, Synthesis, Characterization and Testing of Materials for Biomedical Applications
Advisor: N. Washburn
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept. of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden

Katlyn Kelli Meier

Mössbauer, EPR, and DFT Studies of Oxygen Activation in Enzymes and Biologically Relevant Synthetic Complexes
Advisor: E. Münck
Last Known Position: Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University (Edward Solomon)

Elizabeth (Lisa) Ellen Rastede

The Design, Synthesis and Characterization of Fluorescent Probes for Biomolecule Detection
Advisor: B. Armitage
Last Known Position: Visiting Assistant Professor, Lafayette College, Easton, PA
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Researcher, NIH (Daniel Appella)

Antonina Simakova

Biomaterials by CRP
Advisor: K. Matyjaszewski
Last Known Position: Biohybrid Solutions

Emily Daniels Weiss

Aggregation-Induced Morphology of Low-Dispersity, Regioregular Poly(3-hexylthiophenes) and their Blends with Fullerene Derivatives
Advisor: T. Kowalewski and R. McCullough
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence, Carnegie Mellon University

Penglin Ye

Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds: Behavior and Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation
Advisor: N. Donahue
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Scientist, Aerodyne Research
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Researcher, Carnegie Mellon University (Neil Donahue)

2014

Saadyah Averick

Preparation of Precise Bioconjugates Using Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization
Advisor: K. Matyjaszewski
Last Known Position: Assistant Research Professor, Allegheny Health Network

Anthony Brooks

Photon Driven Reduction of Zn(II) to Zinc Metal by Transition Metal Complexes
Advisor: S. Bernhard
Last Known Position: Senior Scientist, Johnson & Johnson

José C. Flores-Canales

Computational Studies of Acidic Destabilization and Membrane Association of Diphtheria Toxin Translocation (T) Domain
Advisor: M. Kurnikova
Last Known Position: Research Fellow, Korea Institute for Advanced Study (Jooyoung Lee), South Korea

Hong Yul Cho

Synthesis of Multifunctional Star Polymers for Potential Si RNA Delivery Carriers
Advisor: K. Matyjaszewski
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Illinois, Chicago

Andrea Elsen

Applying Control of Heterogeneity Within Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization
Advisor: K. Matyjaszewski
Last Known Position: Senior Scientist, L'Oreal

Chin Ming (Benjamin) Hui

Nano-Engineered Polymer Composites Synthesized by SI-ATRP — From Synthesis to Novel Applications
Advisor: K. Matyjaszewski
Last Known Position: Research Chemist, PPG Industries

Racquel C. Jemison

Aspects Toward Polymer Design: Mechanism and Synthetic Considerations of Conductive Materials for Organic Electronics
Advisor: R. McCullough
Last Known Position: ACS Scholars Program Manager, American Chemical Society
Previous Position: Senior Chemist, Dow Chemical, Core R&D, Formulation Sciences

Jing Kong

Applications of Peptide Nucleic Acid in Nanotechnology
Advisor: C. Achim
Last Known Position: Adjunct Faculty, Duquesne University and Carnegie Mellon University

Ha Pham

Advances in Fluorescence Labeling and Imaging of Biomolecules
Advisor: B. Armitage
Last Known Position: Medical student, University of Central Florida
Previous Position: Adjunct Faculty, Duquesne University

Saumya Saurabh

Ultra-Photostable Genetically Targeted Fluoromodules for Live Cell Imaging
Advisor: M. Bruchez
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University (W. E. Moerner)

Lea Da Silva Veras

NMDA Receptor Transmembrane Domain: Structure and Divalent Ion Selectivity
Advisor: M. Kurnikova
Last Known Position: Leadership Development System Facilitator at American Chemical Society
Previous Position: Non-formal Education Researcher at the Center for Scientific and Cultural Dissemination—University of São Paulo

James Woods

The Water Oxidation Reaction Catalyzed by Homogeneous Iridium Carbene Complexes
Advisor: S. Bernhard
Last Known Position: Jordi Labs

2013

Nicolae M. Albu

Torsional Degrees of Freedom in Conjugated Molecules and Polymers: Motors, Excited State Relaxation, and Charge Mobility
Advisor: D. Yaron
Last Known Position: Instructor, Community College of Allegheny County

Junriz O. Delos Santos

Biomolecular Labeling with Fluorescent Dyes: Making the Most of Nucleic Acid Architectures
Advisor: B. Armitage
Last Known Position: Research Scientist, Sharp Edge Labs, Inc.

Allison Nicole Elder

Synthesis and Applications of Bio-Derived Conjugates
Advisor: N. Washburn
Last Known Position: Senior Chemist, L'Oreal

Anisha Gupta

PNA and the Rule of Four: Quadruplex, Duplex and Chimeric Complexes
Advisor: B. Armitage
Last Known Position: Assistant Professor, College of Staten Island, CUNY
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Associate, Yale University School of Medicine (Peter Glazer, Therapeutic Radiology Group)

Santosh Kumar

Synthesis, Characterization and Application of Water-Soluble Gold and Silver Nanoclusters
Advisor: R. Jin
Last Known Position: Research Scientist, Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Previous Position: Analytical Surface Scientist, Henkel Corporation

Shengpeng Liu

Photophysical Exploration of Fluorescent Nanotags
Advisor: L. Peteanu

Longzhu Shen

Theoretical Studies of TAML® Activators: Oxidative Degradation of Pharmaceuticals in Water, Nuclear Tunneling in C-H Bond Activation and Electronic Structure Analysis of Co(IV) Complexes
Advisor: T. Collins
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Associate,Yale University (Paul Anastas)
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Associate, Institute for Green Science, Carnegie Mellon

Yu Wang

Green ATRP Procedures for Polymers with Well Preserved Chain End Functionalities
Advisor: K. Matyjaszewski
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Researcher, Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Mainz, Germany

Mingjiang Zhong

Block Copolymer Templated Nitrogen-Enriched Nanocarbons: From Synthesis, Characterization, to Applications
Advisors: T. Kowalewski and K. Matyjaszewski
Last Known Position: Assistant Professor, Yale University
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Associate, MIT (Jeremiah Johnson and Bradley Olsen)

2012

Raman Bahal

Development of Conformationally Preorganized miniPEG-γPNA for Antigene and Antisense Applications
Advisor: D. Ly
Last Known Position: Assistant Professor, School of Pharmacy, University of Connecticut

Courtney Lyn Balliet

Application of Advanced X-Ray Scattering Techniques to Structural Investigations of Molecular Packing in Conducting Polymers
Advisors: T. Kowalewski and R. McCullough
Last Known Position: Senior Research Chemist, PPG Industries

Heber J. Chacon-Madrid

The Fragmentation vs. Functionalization Paths of Molecules during Atmospheric Chemical Aging
Advisor: N. Donahue
Last Known Position: Process Engineer, Intel
Previous Position: Rotational Engineer, Intel

Arnie de Leon

Synthesis and Physical Properties of Non-Modified and Modified Peptide Nucleic Acids
Advisor: C. Achim
Last Known Position: PD Associate Scientist, Nitto Denko Avecia Inc.
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Associate, Vanderbilt University

Rupal Gupta

Spectroscopy of Metal Containing Biomolecules & Biomimetic Complexes Involved in O2 & H2O Activation
Advisor: M. Hendrich
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Associate, University of Delaware (T. Polenova)

Soumen Kundu

TAML Activators as Green Oxidation Catalysts: Kinetic and Mechanistic Studies, Applications in Pollutant Remediation and Organic Synthesis
Advisor: T. Collins
Last Known Position: Associate Scientist at Phillips 66 Midstream Division
Previous Position: Postdoctoral associate, McGill University (C.J. Li)

Wenwen Li

Reactive Surfactants for Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization in Dispersed Media
Advisor: K. Matyjaszewski
Last Known Position: Research Scientist, DOW Chemical

John Parker McGann

Electrical and Structural Foundations of Nitrogen-Rich Nanocarbons for Energy Related Applications
Advisor: T. Kowalewski
Last Known Position: Scientist at Exponent, Natick, Massachusetts
Previous Position: Postdoctoral associate, MIT

Halimatu Sadiya Mohammed

PNA-DNA Heteroquadruplex Formation: Optimization of PNA Structure, Recognition by Cyanine Dyes and Evaluation of Molecular Crowding Effects
Advisor: B. Armitage
Last Known Position: Group Manager / Postdoctoral Fellow at University of the Sciences in Philadelphia
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Scientist, Clarkson University (Devon Shipp, Department of Chemistry & Biomolecular Science)

Eduardo Paredes

Triazole Linkages and Backbone Branches in Nucleic Acids for Biological and Extra-Biological Applications
Advisor: S. R. Das
Last Known Position: Team Leader, Oligonucleotide Process Development at Nitto-Avecia, Cincinnati, Ohio
Previous Position: Postdoctoral associate, NIH

Joseph Eric Prata

Chemical Functionalization and Technological Applications of Hyaluronic Acid
Advisor: N. Washburn
Last Known Position: Research Chemist, Lubrizol Corporation
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Associate, Boston Biomedical

Huifeng Qian

Controlling Gold Nanoparticles with Atomic Precision: Synthesis and Structure Determination
Advisor: R. Jin
Last Known Position: Senior Engineer, Dow Chemical Company
Previous Position: J. Evans Attwell-Welch Postdoctoral Fellow, Rice University (Michael S. Wong, Department of Chemical Engineering)

Nathaniel Shank

Design, Synthesis and Characterization of Fluorescent Probes for Biomolecule Detection
Advisor: B. Armitage
Last Known Position: Assistant Professor, Armstrong State University, Savannah, Georgia
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Associate, NIH (D. Appella)

2011

Hoyong Chung

Chemistry and Applications of Bio-Inspired and Bio-Derived Polymers
Advisor: N. Washburn
Last Known Position: Assistant Professor of Chemical & Biomedical Engineering, Florida A&M University
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Associate, California Institute of Technology

Matthew James Crawford

Structural Characterization of γ-Modified PNAs and Invasion of MicroRNA
Advisor: D. Ly
Last Known Position: Assistant Professor, Frostburg State University

Greg Thomas Drozd

Ozonolysis Intermediate Dynamics and Hydroperoxide Photodissociation in the Atmosphere
Advisor: N. Donahue
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Associate, University of California Berkeley (Goldstein, Dept. of Environmental Science, Policy and Management)
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Columbia University (Faye McNeill and Ken Eisenthal)

Joshua Allen Hayden

Oxygen Reactivity of Manganese Proteins
Advisor: M. Hendrich
Last Known Position: Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College; Assistant Director for the Central laboratory and Director of Toxicology and Therapeutic Drug Monitoring, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical Center
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, MIT (Liz Nolan)

Eun Kyung Kim

Nanoporous Carbon Materials from Block Copolymer Precursors for Supercapacitor Applications
Advisor: T. Kowalewski
Last Known Position: Research Scientist, LG, South Korea

Zhijie Ma

Thermodynamics of Metal Binding to Ligand-Modified PNA
Advisor: C. Achim
Last Known Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Georgia Tech (Gary Schuster)

Jesse Allen Miller

Biologically Inspired Applications of TAML Activators
Advisor: T. Collins
Last Known Position: New Chemicals Management Branch, Chemical Control Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Alper Nese

Design and Synthesis of Functional Graft Copolymers with Complex Architectures by Controlled Radical Polymerization Methods
Advisor: K. Matyjaszewski
Last Known Position: Scientist, Sila Nanotechnologies, San Francisco Bay Area
Previous Positions: Postdoctoral Scholar, University of South Carolina; Postdoctoral Associate, University of Southern California (Andrea Armani)

Jeong Ae Yoon

Cross-Linked Networks Prepared by Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization
Advisor: T. Kowalewski
Last Known Position: LG, South Korea

Michael Yonkunas

Theoretical Investigation of the Structure and Function of Ionotropic Glutamate Receptors
Ph.D. in Molecular Biophysics and Structural Biology, a joint program with the University of Pittsburgh     
Advisor: M. Kurnikova
Last Known Position: Instructor, Department of Molecular Biophysics & Physiology, Rush University Medical Center

Kimberly Zanotti

Creating Genetically Encodable Biosensors Based on Fluorogenic Dyes and Proteins
Advisor: B. Armitage
Last Known Position: Research Scientist, QPS Holdings
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, NIH (Patricia Gearhart, National Institute on Aging)

2010

Silvia Bezer Bratu

Supramolecular Structures Based on Peptide Nucleic Acids and Transition Metal Ions
Advisor: C. Achim
Last Known Position: Research Chemist I, PPG Industries
Previous Position: Postdoc, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

Mrinmoy Chakrabarti

Mössbauer, EPR and Theoretical Studies of Oxygen Activating Enzymes and a [Fe4S4] Cluster Relevant to Biological Nitrogen Fixation
Advisor: E. Münck
Last Known Position: Patent Agent, Berggren Group
Previous Position: Postdoctoral associate, Texas A&M University

Martin Christen

Structural/Functional Insights into the Plasminogen Kringle 3 Domain
Advisor: M. Llinás
Last Known Position: Scientific Officer, Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Pittsburgh (Reiko Ishima)

Raymond F. De Hont

Mössbauer, Electron Paramagnetic Resonance, and Density Functional Theory Studies of Biomimetic FeIV=O Species and High-Valent Diamond Core Intermediates
Advisor: E. Münck
Last Known Position: Assessment Specialist, Educational Testing Service

Hongchen Dong

From New Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization Initiating Systems for Functional Nanomaterials and Surfaces
Advisor: K. Matyjaszewski
Last Known Position: Research Scientist, GE Global Research

Volkan Ediz

Data-Driven Approaches in Semiempirical Quantum Chemistry
Advisor: D. Yaron
Last Known Position: Director of Product, GREE International, Inc.
Previous Position: Analyst, Keystone Strategy

William Chadwick Ellis

Green Design, Synthesis, Characterization and Application of a Novel Family of Fe-TAML Peroxide Activating Homogeneous Catalysts
Advisor: T. Collins
Last Known Position: Associate Scientist, Low Carbon Hydrogen, Phillips 66
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Cornell University (Geoff Coates, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology)

Niti Garg

Synthesis and Study of Noble Metal Nanoparticles: Application for Chemical Sensing and Catalysis
Advisor: R. Jin
Last Known Position: Senior Process Engineer, Intel

Patricia Lynn Golas

Rational Design of Polymeric Dispersants for Nanoparticles and Substrates for Click Chemistry Using Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization
Advisor: K. Matyjaszewski
Last Known Position: Principal Scientist, Johnson and Johnson

Anna Esmeralda Javier

Solution-Processable Materials for Printable Electronics
Advisor: R. McCullough
Last Known Position: Senior Scientist, Henkel
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Nitash Balsara)

Junying Liu

Development of Solution-Processable High Performance Organic Semiconductors for Field Effect Transistors
Advisor: R. McCullough
Last Known Position: Product Development Specialist, Dow Corning
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, MIT (Paula Hammond, Chemical Engineering)

Laura Anne Mueller

Expanding the Scope of Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization with Low Catalyst Concentrations
Advisor: K. Matyjaszewski
Last Known Position: Research Scientist, ATRP Solutions

Iulia Alisa Sacui

Development of a γPNA Platform for Biomedical and Molecular Engineering Applications
Advisor: D. Ly
Last Known Position: Instructor, Bowling Green State University
Previous position: Postdoctoral Fellow, NIST

Nikolay Simakov

Calculation of Current-Voltage Properties of Biological Ion-Channels Using Extended Poisson-Nernst-Planck Theory
Advisor: M. Kurnikova
Last Known Position: Computational Scientist, Center for Computational Research, University at Buffalo, SUNY
Previous Position: Postdoc, National Resource for Biomedical Supercomputing, Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center

Hayriye Ünal

Combining Biomolecules and Fluorogenic Cynanine Dyes into Novel Flourescent Labels     
Advisor: B. Armitage
Last Known Position: Researcher, Sabanci University
Previous Position: Research Manager, UPMC Magee Womens Hospital

Tomasz Young

Nanoscale Morphology and Phase Structure of Regioregular Poly (3-hexylthiophene) in Single and Multicomponent Systems
Advisor: T. Kowalewski
Last Known Position: Global Used Oil Analysis / Lubricants Technical Support Laboratories Manager, Exxon Mobil
Previous Position: Research Scientist, Exxon Mobil