Carnegie Mellon University Department of Chemistry

Ph.D. recipients, 1935–2009

Alumni

Ph.D Recipients

The Department of Chemistry is interested in up-to-date information on our alumni's careers, including news such as professional society awards or other honors that you would like to share with the department. Updates can be sent to Rea Freeland (rf51@andrew.cmu.edu) or Valerie Bridge (vb0g@andrew.cmu.edu).

2017

Name Dissertation Advisor Last Known Position
Hadi Abroshan Molecular Modeling of Nanostructures, Polymer Electrolytes, and Ionic Liquids for Energy, Environmental, and Catalysis Applications H. J. Kim 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 N. Donahue and R. Sullivan Postdoctoral Fellow, Carnegie Mellon University (Neil Donahue)
Taylor Canady Reversible and Selective Bimolecular Interactions Using Gamma PNA B. Armitage 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 R. Jin Director's Postdoctoral Fellow, Los Alamos National Laboratory (Jennifer Martinez)
Pawel Krys Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization: From Mechanistic Investigations to Materials and Applications K. Matyjaszewski Research Chemist, PPG Industries
Christian Legaspi Spectroscopic and Computational Investigation of Emissive Materials for Applications in Organic Light-Emitting Devices L. Peteanu and D. Yaron Science Curriculum Designer, IXL Learning
Mo Li Iridium Complexes with Novel Ligand Architectures for Efficient and Robust Water Oxidation Catalysis S. Bernhard M.S. student, Computational Biology, Carnegie Mellon University
Isaac Mills Synthetic Tuning of the Properties of Transition Metal Complexes Toward Solar Energy Conversion Applications S. Bernhard Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Mount St. Mary’s University
Matharishwan Naganbabu Development of Fluorogens for the Detection of Physiological Analytes M. Bruchez Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, Berkeley (Evan Miller)
Jonathan Porras Judicious Design of Transition Metal Complexes for Photochemical Energy Conversion S. Bernhard Assistant Professor, Drew University
Selma Ulku Next Generation Peptide Nucleic Acids for Charge and Spin Transport Studies C. Achim R&D Chemist, W.R. Grace & Co.
Genoa Warner Synthesis, Properties, and Reactivity of Sulfonamide New TAML Oxidation Catalysts T. Collins Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Eric Wu Spectroscopic and Molecular Dynamics Study of Solvation and Translational Dynamics in Ionic Liquids H. J. Kim and L. Peteanu Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, Berkeley (Graham Fleming)

2016

Name Dissertation Advisor Last Known Position
Danielle Chirdon Development of New Iridium Photosensitizers and Organic Heterocycles: Building from Basic Electronic Structure Towards Energy Applications S. Bernhard 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 T. Collins Postdoctoral Fellow, Carnegie Mellon University (Terry Collins)
Sourav Kumar Dey Biochemical and Single Molecule Studies of Backbone Branched RNAs and Lariat Debranching Enzyme S. Das and L. Peteanu Postdoctoral Fellow, Cornell Weill Medical School
Munira Fouz Bright Fluorescent Nanotags for Bio-Imaging and Detection B. Armitage and S. Das Postdoctoral Fellow, NIH (Dan Appella)
Jianjun He Utilizing Malachite Green Derivatives to Diversify Fluorogen-Activating Proteins’ Applications M. Bruchez Senior Fellow, Abmart, Shanghai
Melissa Lamson The Application of Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization to Improve the Preparation of Porous Polymer-Based Materials K. Matyjaszewski 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 T. Collins Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Missouri
Stanley Oyaghire Recognition of Guanine Quadruplexes by PNA and Gamma-PNA Oligomers B. Armitage Postdoctoral Fellow, Yale University (Peter Glazer)
Sangwoo Park Electrochemically Controlled Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization and Synthesis with Complex Architectures K. Matyjaszewski
Yunyan Qiu Diversifying Catalysts, Monomers, Cross-Coupling Strategies and Functional Groups in the Controlled Synthesis of Conjugated Polymers T. Kowalewski and K. Noonan 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 T. Collins Process Technology Development Engineer, Intel Corporation
Joshua Worch Well-Defined Semiconducting Materials with Stabilized Molecular Orbitals: Thiaphospholes to Polythiophenes K. Noonan Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Warwick (Andrew Dove)
Chenjie Zeng Precision at the Nanoscale: On the Structure and Property Evolution of Gold Nanoclusters R. Jin NatureNet Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Pennsylvania

2015

Name Dissertation Advisor Last Known Position
Joanna Burdynska Controlling Architecture in Molecular Bottlebrushes K. Matyjaszewski Electrolyte Chemist, Blue Current, Inc.
Hongkun He Functional Porous Polymers and Poly(ionic liquid)s: Synthesis, Characterization, and Application for CO2 Capture K. Matyjaszewski Postdoctoral Fellow, MIT (Paula Hammond)
Orsolya Karácsony Design, Synthesis, Characterization and Testing of Materials for Biomedical Applications N. Washburn 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 E. Münck Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University (Edward Solomon)
Elizabeth Ellen Rastede The Design, Synthesis and Characterization of Fluorescent Probes for Biomolecule Detection B. Armitage Postdoctoral Researcher, NIH (Daniel Appella)
Antonina Simakova Biomaterials by CRP K. Matyjaszewski Biohybrid Solutions
Emily Daniels Weiss Aggregation-Induced Morphology of Low-Dispersity, Regioregular Poly(3-hexylthiophenes) and their Blends with Fullerene Derivatives T. Kowalewski and R. McCullough Postdoctoral Fellow, Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence, Carnegie Mellon University
Penglin Ye Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds: Behavior and Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation N. Donahue Postdoctoral Researcher, Carnegie Mellon University (Neil Donahue)

2014

Name Dissertation Advisor Last Known Position
Saadyah Averick Preparation of Precise Bioconjugates Using Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization K. Matyjaszewski Assistant Research Professor, Allegheny Health Network
Anthony Brooks Photon Driven Reduction of Zn(II) to Zinc Metal by Transition Metal Complexes S. Bernhard Senior Scientist, Johnson & Johnson
José C. Flores-Canales Computational Studies of Acidic Destabilization and Membrane Association of Diphtheria Toxin Translocation (T) Domain M. Kurnikova 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 K. Matyjaszewski Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Illinois, Chicago
Andrea Elsen Applying Control of Heterogeneity Within Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization K. Matyjaszewski Senior Scientist, L'Oreal
Chin Ming (Benjamin) Hui Nano-Engineered Polymer Composites Synthesized by SI-ATRP — From Synthesis to Novel Applications K. Matyjaszewski Research Chemistry, PPG Industries
Racquel C. Jemison Aspects Toward Polymer Design: Mechanism and Synthetic Considerations of Conductive Materials for Organic Electronics R. McCullough Senior Chemist, Dow Chemical, Core R&D, Formulation Sciences
Jing Kong Applications of Peptide Nucleic Acid in Nanotechnology C. Achim Adjunct Faculty, Duquesne University and Carnegie Mellon University
Ha Pham Advances in Fluorescence Labeling and Imaging of Biomolecules B. Armitage Medical student, University of Central Florida
Previous Position: Adjunct Faculty, Chemistry Department, Duquesne University
Saumya Saurabh Ultra-Photostable Genetically Targeted Fluoromodules for Live Cell Imaging M. Bruchez Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University (W. E. Moerner)
Lea Da Silva Veras NMDA Receptor Transmembrane Domain: Structure and Divalent Ion Selectivity M. Kurnikova 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 S. Bernhard Jordi Labs

2013

Name Dissertation Advisor Last Known Position
Nicolae M. Albu Torsional Degrees of Freedom in Conjugated Molecules and Polymers: Motors, Excited State Relaxation, and Charge Mobility D. Yaron Instructor, Community College of Allegheny County
Junriz O. Delos Santos Biomolecular Labeling with Fluorescent Dyes: Making the Most of Nucleic Acid Architectures B. Armitage Research Scientist, Sharp Edge Labs, Inc.
Allison Nicole Elder Synthesis and Applications of Bio-Derived Conjugates N. Washburn Senior Chemist, L'Oreal
Anisha Gupta PNA and the Rule of Four: Quadruplex, Duplex and Chimeric Complexes B. Armitage Assistant Professor, College of Staten Island, CUNY
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Associate, Therapeutic Radiology Group, Yale University School of Medicine (Peter Glazer)
Santosh Kumar Synthesis, Characterization and Application of Water-Soluble Gold and Silver Nanoclusters R. Jin Research Scientist, Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Previous Position: Analytical Surface Scientist, Henkel Corporation
Shengpeng Liu Photophysical Exploration of Fluorescent Nanotags 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 T. Collins 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 K. Matyjaszewski Postdoctoral Researcher, Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Mainz, Germany
Mingjiang Zhong Block Copolymer Templated Nitrogen-Enriched Nanocarbons: From Synthesis, Characterization, to Applications T. Kowalewski and K. Matyjaszewski Assistant Professor, Yale University
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Associate, MIT (Jeremiah Johnson and Bradley Olsen)

2012

Name Dissertation Advisor Last Known Position
Raman Bahal Development of Conformationally Preorganized miniPEG-γPNA for Antigene and Antisense Applications D. Ly 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 T. Kowalewski and R. McCullough Senior Research Chemist, PPG Industries
Heber J. Chacon-Madrid The Fragmentation vs. Functionalization Paths of Molecules during Atmospheric Chemical Aging N. Donahue Rotational Engineer, Intel
Arnie de Leon Synthesis and Physical Properties of Non-Modified and Modified Peptide Nucleic Acids C. Achim 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 M. Hendrich Postdoctoral Associate, U. Delaware (T. Polenova)
Soumen Kundu TAML Activators as Green Oxidation Catalysts: Kinetic and Mechanistic Studies, Applications in Pollutant Remediation and Organic Synthesis T. Collins Associate Scientist at Phillips 66 Midstream Division
Previous Position: Postdoctoral associate, McGill University (Advisor: C.J. Li)
Wenwen Li Reactive Surfactants for Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization in Dispersed Media K. Matyjaszewski Research Scientist, DOW Chemical
John Parker McGann Electrical and Structural Foundations of Nitrogen-Rich Nanocarbons for Energy Related Applications T. Kowalewski 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 B. Armitage Group Manager / Postdoctoral Fellow at University of the Sciences in Philadelphia
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Scientist, Department of Chemistry & Biomolecular Science at Clarkson University (Advisor: Devon Shipp)
Eduardo Paredes Triazole Linkages and Backbone Branches in Nucleic Acids for Biological and Extra-Biological Applications S. R. Das 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 N. Washburn Research Chemist, Lubrizol Corporation
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Associate, Boston Biomedical
Huifeng Qian Controlling Gold Nanoparticles with Atomic Precision: Synthesis and Structure Determination R. Jin Senior Engineer, Dow Chemical Company
Previous Position: J. Evans Attwell-Welch Postdoctoral Fellow, Rice University, Department of Chemical Engineering (Michael S. Wong)
Nathaniel Shank Design, Synthesis and Characterization of Fluorescent Probes for Biomolecule Detection B. Armitage Assistant Professor, Armstrong State University, Savannah, Georgia
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Associate, NIH (D. Appella)

2011

Name Dissertation Advisor Last Known Position
Hoyong Chung Chemistry and Applications of Bio-Inspired and Bio-Derived Polymers N. Washburn 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 D. Ly Assistant Professor, Frostburg State University
Greg Thomas Drozd Ozonolysis Intermediate Dynamics and Hydroperoxide Photodissociation in the Atmosphere N. Donahue Postdoctoral Associate, U. California Berkeley, Dept. of Environmental Science, Policy and Management (Goldstein)
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Columbia University (Faye McNeill and Ken Eisenthal)
Joshua Allen Hayden Oxygen Reactivity of Manganese Proteins M. Hendrich 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 T. Kowalewski Research Scientist, LG, South Korea
Zhijie Ma Thermodynamics of Metal Binding to Ligand-Modified PNA C. Achim Postdoctoral Fellow, Georgia Tech (Gary Schuster)
Jesse Allen Miller Biologically Inspired Applications of TAML Activators T. Collins 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 K. Matyjaszewski 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 T. Kowalewski 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
M. Kurnikova Instructor, Department of Molecular Biophysics & Physiology, Rush University Medical Center
Kimberly Zanotti Creating Genetically Encodable Biosensors Based on Fluorogenic Dyes and Proteins B. Armitage Research Scientist, QPS Holdings
Previous Positions: Postdoctoral Fellow, NIH, National Institute on Aging (Patricia Gearhart)

2010

Name Dissertation Advisor Last Known Position
Silvia Bezer Bratu Supramolecular Structures Based on Peptide Nucleic Acids and Transition Metal Ions C. Achim Research Chemist I, PPG IndustriesPostdoc, 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 E. Münck Patent Agent, Berggren Group
Previous Position: Postdoctoral associate, Texas A&M University
Martin Christen Structural/Functional Insights into the Plasminogen Kringle 3 Domain M. Llinás 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 E. Münck Assessment Specialist, Educational Testing Service
Hongchen Dong From New Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization Initiating Systems for Functional Nanomaterials and Surfaces K. Matyjaszewski Research Scientist, GE Global Research
Volkan Ediz Data-Driven Approaches in Semiempirical Quantum Chemistry D. Yaron 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 T. Collins Associate Scientist, Low Carbon Hydrogen, Phillips 66
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Cornell University, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology (Geoff Coates)
Niti Garg Synthesis and Study of Noble Metal Nanoparticles: Application for Chemical Sensing and Catalysis R. Jin Senior Process Engineer, Intel
Patricia Lynn Golas Rational Design of Polymeric Dispersants for Nanoparticles and Substrates for Click Chemistry Using Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization K. Matyjaszewski Senior Scientist, Johnson and Johnson
Anna Esmeralda Javier Solution-Processable Materials for Printable Electronics R. McCullough 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 R. McCullough Product Development Specialist, Dow Corning
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Chemical Engineering, MIT (Paula Hammond)
Laura Anne Mueller Expanding the Scope of Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization with Low Catalyst Concentrations K. Matyjaszewski Research Scientist, ATRP Solutions
Iulia Alisa Sacui Development of a γPNA Platform for Biomedical and Molecular Engineering Applications D. Ly 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 M. Kurnikova 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 B. Armitage 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 T. Kowalewski Research Scientist, Exxon Mobil

2009

Name Dissertation Advisor Last Known Position
Marcos Battistel Profiling Plasminogen Kringle Domains According to Ligand Specificity M. Llinás Postdoctoral Fellow/Contractor, Food & Drug Administration, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (Daron Freedberg)
Sidi Bencherif Synthesis, Characterization, and Evaluation of Biodegradable Polymers and Biomimetic Hydrogel Scaffolds for Biomedical Applications N. Washburn and K. Matyjaszewski Researcher, Harvard University (David Mooney)
Previous Positions: Research Associate, Harvard University and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering (David Mooney); Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Science (David Edwards and David Mooney)
Tudor Constantin Selection and Characterization of RNA Aptamers that Bind Fluorogenic Cyanine Dyes B. Armitage Research Scientist, Natera
Previous Position: Scientist, Investigen
Brian Francis Cusick Techniques for Proximal Probe Characterization of Designer Surfaces Tailored by Controlled Radical Polymerization T. Kowalewski AP1000 Configuration Management Coordinator, Westinghouse
William Gunderson Spectroscopic Studies of Intermediates in Metalloenzymes and Biomimetic Complexes M. Hendrich Visiting Assistant Professor, Illinois College
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Emory University, Dept. of Physics (Kurt Warncke)
Wei He Structural Characterization of Non-Modified and Modified Peptide Nucleic Acids C. Achim Research and Development Scientist for PolyPeptide Group
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, UC San Diego (Wei Wang)
Sabrina Lusvarghi From Molecules to Organisms: Molecular Recognition Using Proteins, Peptides and Peptide Nucleic Acids B. Armitage Research Fellow, National Institute of Diabetes and
Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Previous Position: Visiting Fellow, National Cancer Institute, HIV Drug Resistance Program (Stuart Le Grice)
Lynne A. McCullough Nanostructured Conducting Materials Templated on Block Copolymers K. Matyjaszewski Scientist III, E-Ink Corporation
Renaud Nicolaÿ Enhancing Control of Macromolecular Architecture by Synergistic Combination of ATRP, NMP and RAFT Polymerization K. Matyjaszewski Assistant Professor, ESPCI
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Research Assistant, Eindhoven University of Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Molecular Science and Technology Group (E.W. (Bert) Meijer)
Anna (Zatsman) Twigg Mechanistic Studies of Multiheme Proteins Using EPR Spectroscopy M. Hendrich Scientist 1, Protein Research, BioMarin
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Energy Biosciences Institute, UC Berkeley
Rui Zhang The Impact of Morphology and Molecular Structure on Charge Transport Properties in Thin Film of Polythiophene and its Derivatives T. Kowalewski and R. McCullough Senior Material and Component Engineer, Intel Corporation
Previous Position: University of Texas, Austin (Paul Barbera)

2008

Name Dissertation Advisor Last Known Position
Andrea Benvin Stadler DNA Templated Supramolecular Assemblies of Cyanine Dyes B. Armitage Assistant Professor, St. Joseph's College
Previous Position:Research Associate, Brookhaven National Laboratory
Lindsay Bombalski Growth and Effect of Polymeric Ligands on Colloidal Particles and Tailoring the Optical Properties of Particle Additives M. Bockstaller President/Founder, National Association of Postgraduates
Previous Position: ORISE Postdoctoral Fellow, U.S. Department of Energy-National Energy Technology Laboratory, Pittsburgh
Jessica Cooper Chain-end Functionalized Regioregular Poly(3-hexylthiophenes)s: Synthesis, Characterization and Applications R. McCullough and T. Kowalewski Review Chemist, FDA
Previous Position: ORISE Fellow, Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Wade Braunecker Catalyst Development in Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization from a Thermodynamic Perspective K. Matyjaszewski Faculty, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Colorado (Josef Michl)
Haifeng Gao Synthesis of Functional Polymers with Controlled Architecture by ATRP of Monomers in the Presence of Cross-Linkers: From Stars to Gels K. Matyjaszewski Assistant Professor, University of Notre Dame
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, U.C. Berkeley (Jean Frechet)
Gaofei He Development of Conformationally-Preorganized γ-Peptide Nucleic Acid (γ-PNA) for Recognition of Double helical B-form DNA (B-DNA) D. Ly Analytical Scientist at Patheon in St. Louis
Previous Position: Postdoc, University of Missouri-St. Louis
Ke Min Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization in Aqueous Dispersed Media K. Matyjaszewski Formulation Scientist, Dow AgroSciences
Previous Position: Postdoc, E.O. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
Gizelle Sherwood The Effects of Aggregation on the Photophysics of Oligomers Related to MEH-PPV and CN-PPV L. Peteanu Assistant Teaching Professor, Carnegie Mellon University
Daniel Siegwart Application of Controlled Radical Polymerization (CRP) in the Design of Functional Biomedical Architectures K. Matyjaszewski Assistant Professor, UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, MIT (Robert Langer)
Wei Tang Kinetics of Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization K. Matyjaszewski Senior Research Chemistry, Exxon Mobil Chemical
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Princeton (Lynn Loo)
Richard Watson Metal Binding to Peptide Nucleic Acids Modified with 8-Hydroxyquinoline or 2,2’-Bipyridine C. Achim Staff Scientist, SMD in the Biochemistry and Biophysics Department, University of Rochester
Previous Position: Postdoc, University of Rochester (William Bernhard)
Wei Wu Control, Manipulation, Characterization and Complex Crystallization Behavior of Macromolecular Assemblies T. Kowalewski, K. Matyjaszewski Senior Materials Engineer at Intel
Previous Position: Materials Packaging Engineer, Intel

2007

Name Dissertation Advisor Last Known Position
Deboshri Banerjee Green Oxidation Catalysis with Fe-TAML/Peroxide: Novel Applications in Microbial Deactivation, Kinetic and Reactivity Studies T. Collins Research Fellow, Brigham and Women's Hospital
Previous Position: Scripps Research Institute (M.G. Finn)
Evan S. Beach Fe-TAML Catalyzed Oxidation Chemistry for Water Cleaning Applications T. Collins Program Manager, Center for Green Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yale University
Previous Position: Postdoctoral fellow, Yale University (Paul Anastas)
Arani Chanda Iron-TAML Activators of Peroxide — A Green Catalytic Oxidation System: Environmental Applications, Kinetic and Mechanistic Studies T. Collins Senior Manager, Sarepta Therapeutics
Previous Position: Scientist, Eisai
Alina Dragulescu-Andrasi Spin-Crossover and Charge-Transfer Phenomena in Iron-Based Polynuclear Complexes C. Achim Postdoctoral Researcher, Florida State University (Michael Shatruk)
Previous Position: Postdoc, University of Massachusetts Medical School (Jie Song)
Jinyu Huang Functional Polymers and Surfaces via Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization K. Matyjaszewski Senior Research Scientist, CIBA Vision
Previous Position: Research Scientist, Ciba Vision
Wojciech Jakubowski From New Initiating Systems for Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization to Block Copolymers K. Matyjaszewski VP of Manufacturing, ATRP Solutions
Hyung-il Lee Macromolecular Brushes: From Synthesis to Functional Material K. Matyjaszewski Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering Department, Ulsan University
Previous Position: Postdoctoral fellow, M.I.T. Department of Chemical Engineering
Xin Li Transition States for Surface-Catalyzed Reactions D. Sholl
Delia-Laura Popescu Green Oxidation Technologies for Environmental Applications: Degradation of Persistent Pollutants by FeIII-TAML® Activated Peroxides and Kinetic and Mechanistic Studies T. Collins Assistant Professor (Lecturer), Department of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Bucharest, Romania
Previous Positions: Postdoc, Southern Methodist University (N. Tsarevsky); Faculty, University of Bucharest
Kelly Robertson Nucleic Acid Reagents for Imaging and Detection B. Armitage Naval Research Labs, Washington D.C.
Subhadeep Roy Exploring Interactions of Peptide Nucleic Acids with Quadruplex Forming DNA Motifs B. Armitage R&D Researcher–Intermediate, Agilent and Senior Researcher
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Colorado (Josef Michl)
Amy Sage Atmospheric Oxidation of Organic Compounds: Gas-Phase Reactivity, Gas-to-Particle Conversion, and Particle Aging N. Donahue Postdoctoral Associate, Kent State University (Shan-Hu Lee)
Previous Position: Postdoctoral scholar, Case Western Reserve University (Carlos Crespo)
Kirill Speranskiy Theoretical Modeling of Ligand-gated Ion Channels M. Kurnikova Senior Technology Support Analyst, Arizona State University
Matthew Stadler A New Family of Fe-TAML Peroxide Activators for Green Oxidation Chemistry: Synthesis, Characterization, and Properties T. Collins CEO, Dash Biotechnologies
Previous Position: Managing Director, Life Sciences Network, Pittsburgh Technology Council

2006

Name Dissertation Advisor Last Known Position
Justin Douglas Spectroscopic Characterization of the Interactions Between Peptide Ligands and the Multi-Domain Proteins Plasminogen and Matrix Metalloprotenase 2 M. Llinás Assistant Scientist/Director, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Laboratory, University of Kansas
Previous Position: Postdoc, U. of Colorado (Arthur Pardi)
Anca Dragulescu-Andrasi Development of Cell-Permeable and Helically Preorganized Peptide Nucleic Acids D. Ly Postdoc, Stanford University (Molecular Imaging Program, School of Medicine, J. Rao)
Kristen (Hannah) Roy The Effects of Nucleic Acid Template and Dye Structure on Cyanine Dye Aggregation: An NMR and Optical Spectroscopic Investigation B. Armitage Instructor, University of Colorado
Lu Liu Effects of Rotation on the Photophysics of Conductive Polymers D. Yaron Research Associate, Anesthesiology, University of Pittsburgh
Swati R. Manjari Thermodynamics of Solvation — A Continuum Perspective H. J. Kim Postdoctoral Researcher, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Previous Position: Postdoctoral Researcher, Carnegie Mellon (H. Kim)
Timothy Smith Spectral Properties and Photophysics of Conjugated Polymers in Electric Fields L. Peteanu Staff Field Engineer, Sciex
Previous Position: Assistant Professor, Christopher Newport University
Sebastian Stoian Mössbauer and Quantum Chemical Studies of Fe(I) and Fe(II) Diketiminate Complexes, and of a Short-Lived Aqueous Fe(IV)=O Intermediate E. Münck Postdoctoral Researcher, National High Energy Magnet Field Laboratory
Previous Positions: Postdoc, Carnegie Mellon (E. Münck); Postdoc, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Daniel G. Nocera)
Audria Stubna Mössbauer Spectroscopy and DFT Studies of High-Valent Fe(IV) Species E. Münck Postdoc, University of Pennsylvania (Les Dutton)
Chuanbing Tang Nanostructured Carbon from Well-Defined Polyacrylonitrile (Co) Polymers Obtained by Controlled/Living Radical Polymerizations: From Synthesis and Characterization to Devices T. Kowalewski and K. Matyjaszewski Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and NanoCenter at the University of South Carolina
Previous Position: Postdoc, U. of California Santa Barbara (E. Kramer and C. Hawker, Materials Research Laboratory
Filipe Alexandre Ferreira Tiago de Oliveira Mössbauer, Electron Paramagnetic Resonance and Density Functional Theory Studies of Iron (IV) and Iron (V) Complexes Involving Tetraamido Macrocyclic Ligands E. Münck Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal
PingPing Ye Hydrogenation and β-Hydride Elimination on Pt(III) and Ni/Pt(III) and Surface Segregation in a PdCu Alloy A. Gellman Research Scientist, Surface Analysis and Materials Properties Lab, Cookson Electronics/Enthone
Liping Yu Single Molecule Spectroscopy of Pre-RNA Splicing with Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET L. Peteanu Research Scientist, BD Biosystems
Peng Zhou Synthesis and Properties of Guanidine-Peptide Nucleic Acid D. Ly Scientist, AnaSpec

2005

Name Dissertation Advisor Last Known Position
Sudha Dorairaj Solvation in Quadrupolar Solvents: A Continuum Approach H. J. Kim Research Associate, Oregon Health and Science University
Previous Position: Postdoc, University of Califonia at Davis (Toby Allen)
Benjamin Janesko New Methods in Semiempirical Quantum Chemistry D. Yaron Assistant Professor, Texas Christian University
Previous Position: Postdoc, Rice University (G. Scuseria)
Justin Legleiter Atomic Force Microscopy for Studying Physicochemical Aspects of Alzheimer’s Disease T. Kowalewski Assistant Professor, University of West Virginia
Previous Position: Postdoc, University of Washington, Dept. of Pharmacology (Paul Muchowski)
Violeta L. Marin Thermodynamic and Kinetic Investigation of Nucleic Acid Molecular Recognition by Synthetic Oligomers and Small Molecules B. Armitage Senior Research Scientist, Abbott Laboratories
Previous Position: Postdoc, Joint appointment, The University of Chicago (Milan Mrksich) and Argonne National Lab (Brian Kay)
Nicolay V. Tsarevsky Synthesis of Well-Defined Polymeric Materials with Polar Functional Groups by Atom Transfer Radical Polymerizatio K. Matyjaszewski Assistant Professor, Southern Methodist University
Previous Positions: CSO, ATRP Solutions; Visiting Assistant Professor, Carnegie Mellon

2004

Name Dissertation Advisor Last Known Position
Hy Bui Viscoelastic Study of Reversible Gels and Block Copolymer Melts G. C. Berry Scientist, New Technology, L'Oreal USA
Bhaskar Datta Molecular Recognition Involving Guanine-Quartets and Hybrid Aptamers B. Armitage Assistant Professor, Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar
Previous Positions: Assistant Professor, Missouri State University; Postdoc, University of Georgia
Anindya Ghosh Design, Synthesis and Mechanistic Studies of Iron-TAML Catalytic Activators of Hydrogen Peroxide and a New Activation Chemistry of Dioxygen by Iron T. Collins Assistant Professor, University of Arkansas Little Rock
Previous positions: Post-doctoral researcher with Professor Daryle H. Busch and Professor Bala Subramaniam, CEBC (University of Kansas); Senior Research Chemist, Halliburton Energy Services, Duncan, Oklahama
Zhenyu Gu Nano-Scale Structures of Supramolecules: From Fractal Bio-Microgels to Micellar Aggregates G. D. Patterson TCSS Technology and Operation Director, Trelleborg
Limin Angela Liu Modeling the Effects of Disorder on the Photophysics of Organic Materials D. Yaron Associate Professor, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
Previous position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept. of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University (Joel Bader)
Elena Sheina Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Regioregular Thiophene Polymers with Polyetheric Substituents R. McCullough Senior Scientist, Solvay USA
Previous Positions: Research Chemist, Plextronics; Postdoc, Carnegie Mellon (R.D. McCullough)
Aimeé Tomlinson Modeling the Photophysics of Biological Dye Assemblies D. Yaron Associate Professor of Chemistry, University of North Georgia and President, ALT Consulting
Previous Position: Visiting Assistant Professor, New College of Florida
Anup Upadhyay Spectroscopic Characterization of Multiheme Proteins from Nitrosomonas Europaea M. Hendrich Senior Scientist II Biochemistry at AbbVie
Previous Positions: Research Associate, Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Emory University; Postdoc, Emory University (Dale Edmondson)

2003

Name Dissertation Advisor Last Known Position
Rong Cao Biomolecular Recognition: From Cyanine Dye-DNA Complexes to Recyclable Enzymes B. Armitage Assistant Professor, Community College of Allegheny College
Previous Position: Postdoc, University of Pittsburgh (Bruce Pitt)
Isil Dilek Supramolecular Structures Involving Peptide Nucleic Acid B. Armitage Research Scientist, Cerilliant Corp., Round Rock, TX
Previous Position: Postdoc, University of Texas, Austin (Sean Kerwin)
Adina Golombek EPR and Mössbauer Studies of Manganese and Iron Small Molecule Model Complexes and Proteins M. Hendrich NMR Staff, Dept. of Chemistry, University of Toronto
Previous Position: Posdoc, Weizmann Inst. of Science, Israel
Chris Kunz Charged Kaon Ratios and Yields Measured with the STAR Detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider M. Kaplan Staff Scientist, Sandia National Laboratories
Brad Pierce The Use of Quantitative EPR Techniques to Observe Active Site Assembly Within the Small Subunit of Ribonucleotide Reductase M. Hendrich Associate Professor, University of Texas, Arlington
Previous Position: Postdoc, University of Wisconsin (Brian Hoffman)

2002

Name Dissertation Advisor Last Known Position
Arindam Pushan Chowdhury Electronic delocalization and charge-transfer properties of chemical and biological systems as measured by Stark spectroscopy L. Peteanu Associate Professor, IIT Bombay
Previous Positions: Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay; Postdoc, Columbia University (David Adams)
Marion Gehrmann Structural and Functional Similarities Between FII and Kringle Domains M. Llinás Postdoc, University of Maryland
Sayam Sen Gupta Iron-TAML Activators of Hydrogen Peroxide: Synthesis, Characterization and Environmental Applications T. Collins Scientist/Assistant Professor, National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India
Previous Position: Postdoc, Scripps Research Institute (M.G. Finn)
Yelda Hangun Design and Study of Catalytic Activators of Hydrogen Peroxide Promising Rapid Efficient Petroleum Desulfurization and Bleaching Technologies T. Collins Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Eckerd College
Previous Position: Assistant Professor, California University of Pennsylvania
Boonchuan Immaraporn Kinetics Study of Acid Deprotonation and Dechlorination Reactions on Single Crystal Metal Surfaces A. Gellman Researcher, SCG Chemicals
Previous Position: Postdoc, Fritz-Haber Institute, Berlin
Stuart Kushon A Thermodynamic and Kinetic Study of the Binding of PNA Probes to DNA and RNA Hairpin Structures B. Armitage Professor of Introductory Chemistry, Saddleback College
Previous Position: Manager of Chemistry R&D, QTL Biosystems, CA
Jinsong Liu End-Group Functionalization of Regioregular Head-to-Tail Poly(3-alkylthiophenes) and its Application to the Synthesis of Well-Defined Rod-Coil Block Copolymers: Tuning the Self-Assembly and Functional Properties of Conducting Polymers R. McCullough R&D Staff Scientist, Life Technologies
Previous Positions: Senior Chemist, Waters Corp.; Postdoc, University of California, Berkeley (Jean Frechet)
Melissa Pasquinelli An Effective Particle Approach to the Photophysics of Conjugated Polymers D. Yaron Associate Professor, North Carolina State University (Fiber and Polymer Science Program,
Previous Positions: Postdoc, Duke University (D. Beratan); Postdoc, Environmental Protection Agency (J. Rabinowitz)
Tomislav Pintauer Structural and mechanistic aspects of copper catalyzed atom transfer radical processes K. Matyjaszewski Associate Professor, Duquesne University
Previous Position: Postdoc, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Dong-Chul (Jeff) Pyun Synthesis of Nanostructural Organic/Inorganic Hybrid Materials Using Controlled/Living Radical Polymerization K. Matyjaszewski Associate Professor, University of Arizona
Previous Position: Postdoc, University of California Berkley (Jean Frechet) and IBM Almaden (Craig Hawker)
Daniel Savin Rayleigh-Brillouin and Photon Correlation Spectroscopy of Poly (n-hexyl methacrylate) Near the Glass Transition, and Light Scattering and Thermal Characterization of Hybrid Nanoparticles G.D. Patterson Associate Professor, University of Southern Mississippi, School of Polymers
Previous Positions: Assistant Professor, University of Vermont; Postdoc, University of Minnesota (Tim Lodge)

Miaomiao Wang Interactions of Cyanine Dyes with DNA or PNA Duplexes: Formation of Supramolecular Structures B. Armitage California Department of Toxic Substances Control, Environmental Chemistry Laboratory
Previous Positions: Postdoc, Investigen, Inc.; Postdoc, Carnegie Mellon (Danith Ly)
Lei Zhai Fabrication of Micro- and Nanostructures from Functionalized Regioregular Poly (3-alkylthiophenes) R. McCullough Associate Professor of Nanoscience Technology Center and the Department of Chemistry, University of Central Florida
Previous Position: Assistant Professor, University of Central Florida; Postdoc, MIT

2001

Name Dissertation Advisor Last Known Position
Kelly Davis Arehart Segmented Copolymers by Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization K. Matyjaszewski Senior Manager, Global Innovations, Kimberly Clark Professional
Previous Positions: Scientist, Kimberly-Clark, Corporate Research Division; Postdoc, University of Colorado-Boulder (Kristi Anseth)
Alexander Grishaev CLOUDS: A Computational Protocol for Protein Structure Elucidation via NMR Proton Densities M. Llinás Staff Scientist, NIH
Tom Chih-Chuang Hu Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Mice: Assessment of Left-Ventricular Function, and Development of Manganese as a Functional Contrast Agent A. Koretsky Project Officer, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA )
Previous Positions: Assistant Professor of Radiology, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Georgia; Principal Scientist, MRI/S Facility, GlaxoSmithKline; Postdoc, NIH
Jonggu Jeon Solvation and solute electronic structure in a continuum solvent picture H. J. Kim Research Professor, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
Previous Positions: Research Scientist, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, Korea; University of California, Davis (A. Stuchebrukhov); Postdoc, University of Utah (Gregory Voth)
Hyun-Jong Paik Kinetic studies and applications of atom transfer radical polymerization K. Matyjaszewski Professor, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Pusan National University, Korea
Previous Position: Postdoc, Cornell University
Richard Pilston Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Regioregular Polythiophenes, Random Copolymers of Thiophene and Studies of the GRIM Polymerization Method for the Synthesis of Polythiophenes R. McCullough New Business Development at Milliken & Company and Chairman at Indigo Biosciences, Inc.
Previous Positions: Vice President of Marketing, Nano-Terra Inc.; Global Marketing Manager of Vertrel specialty fluids product line, DuPont; Chief Technology Officer, Plextronics, Inc.
Jason Weibel New Methodologies for Electronic Structure Calculations on Organic Materials D. Yaron Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Physics, Belmont University
Previous Position: Postdoc, Caltech (Virtual Planetary Lab)

2000

Name Dissertation Advisor Last Known Position
Kathryn L. Beers Design, synthesis and properties of comb copolymers with variable grafting density by controlled radical polymerization K. Matyjaszewski Leader, Polymers and Complex Fluids, NIST
Previous Positions: Deputy Division Chief, Polymers and Group Leader, Sustainable Polymers, NIST
Robert Scott Loewe Synthesis, characterization, and development of structurally homogeneous polythiophenes (pts) and polythienylene vinylenes R. McCullough Patent Examiner, U.S. Patent and Trade Office
Previous Positions: Discovery Chemist, Zettacore Inc.; Postdoc, North Carolina State University
Eric Edward Moore Solid-state effects on the electronic structure of conjugated polymers D. Yaron Adjunct Professor, Saint John's University and Brooklyn College
Previous Position: Postdoc, New Jersey Institute of Technology
Victoria-Codrina Popescu Mössbauer and EPR studies of the hydrogen-cluster of the iron-hydrogenases from C. pasteurianum and of synthetic complexes designed to model the iron sites of the [(2)iron](H)-subcluster and Mössbauer studies of the transcription factor FNR of Escherichia coli E. Münck Associate Professor, Colgate University
Previous Positions: Associate Professor, Ursinus College; Postdoc, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Lavanya Louisa Premvardhan Electrostatic properties of charge-transfer systems L. Peteanu Scientific Research, Analysis and Management. Molecular Spectroscopy and Fluorescence Imaging, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimie (IBPC)
Previous Position: Researcher, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands
Jian Qiu Atom transfer radical polymerization in aqueous dispersed media K. Matyjaszewski Principal Scientist, Pall Corporation
Leonard Domenick Vuocolo The preparation of iron complexes as green catalytic oxidant activators of hydrogen peroxide T. Collins Assistant Teaching Professor, Carnegie Mellon University
Previous Position: Assistant Professor, Allegheny College
Belinda Belle Willard Experimental and theoretical investigations of the metastable dissociations of organosilicon ions S. Graul Director of Proteomics Core, Cleveland Clinic
Previous Position: Research Staff, Cleveland Clinic
Stacy Alayne Williams Synthesis, characterization and reactivity of high-valent copper complexes of macrocyclic tetraamido-N ligands T. Collins Partner, Perception Partners, Atlanta, GA
Previous Position: Founder, Dr. DaBrain Scientific Toys, Watkinsville, GA
Sun Jae Yoo Spectroscopic studies of novel metal clusters in iron-sulfur proteins E. Münck Patent Examiner, U.S. Patent and Trade Office
Previous Position: Research Scientist, Magellan Laboratories, Triangle Park, NC