Missing Flash! You have been summoned to join the Chat Channel
|
Group Members
JNJ Members
|
|
Hide Display Options
Show Display Options
|
|
|
| Post-Doctoral Fellows |
|
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). 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.
|
|
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.
|
|
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.
|
|
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.
|
|
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. In 2011, Matt joined the Isotope Synthesis group at Johnson & Johnson PRD.
|
| |
| Graduate Students |
|
Sarah 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 of Chemistry at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
|
|
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).
|
|
Amie 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.
|
|
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.
|
|
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).
|
|
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.
|
|
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.
|
|
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.
|
|
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 is currently an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Queens Community College in New York City.
|
|
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.
|
|
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.
|
|
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).
|
|
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 Guwahati in 2013.
|
|
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 is currently a postdoctoral associate at Princeton University with David MacMillan.
|
|
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.
|
|
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 is currently a postdoctoral scholar with Ned Porter.
|
|
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.
|
|
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.
|
|
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 is currently teaching at a private school in New Jersey while moonlighting as a scientist at Princeton University.
|
|
Jessica 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.
|
| |
| UnderGraduate Students |
|
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. |
|
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).
|
|
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.
|
|
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.
|
|
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 is working with Johanna Joyce studying the role of tumor associated macrophages in glioma. |
|
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.
|
|
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.
|
| |
| REU Students |
|
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 |
|
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.
|
|
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. (anticipated), 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 is currently working with Prof. Gary Molander. |
|
Jeremy Mason |
|
B.S. Chemistry (anticipated), 2013, Allegheny College, PA
Jeremy comes from Pittsburgh, PA and is supported by the Vanderbilt NSF-REU program in Chemical Biology. He is a chemistry major at Allegheny College and does research with Prof. Shaun Murphree directed at sulfone-based organic methodology. Jeremy worked on the utilization of PBAM catalysts to prepare novel analogs of (-)-Nutlin 3. He hopes to go to graduate school in chemistry after graduation.
|
|
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.
|
| |
| Rotation Students |
|
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.
|
| |
|
