Department of Chemistry

Former Group Members

Former Postdoctoral Research Assistants

  • L. Dimuthu M. Weerawardene (2018 – 2019). Dr. Weerawardene became a postdoctoral research assistant at Baylor University with Kevin Shuford in June 2019. Now, postdoctoral research assistant with Nasser Peyghambarian (U. Arizona) and adjunct faculty at Pima Community College.
  • Fahri Alkan (2016 – 2019). Alkan became an Assistant Professor at Abdullah Gul University in Turkey in April 2019.
  • Andre Z. Clayborne (2016). Dr. Clayborne held Assistant Professor appointments at the University of Missouri - Kansas City and Howard University. Now Assistant Professor at George Mason University.
  • Gyun-Tack Bae (2010 – 2013). Dr. Bae is now an Associate Professor at Chungbuk National University in South Korea.
  • Choongkeun Lee (2011 – 2013). Dr. Lee became a postdoctoral research associate at West Virginia University. Now working for Alliance Pharma pharmaceutical company.
  • Indrajit Bandyopadhyay (2008 – 2009). Bandyopadhyay became an Assistant Professor at GLA University, India.

Former Graduate Students

  • Yuchen Wang (Ph.D. 2024) Postdoc at New York University with Nora Hoffmann
  • Zhen Liu (Ph.D. 2023) Postdoc at University of California, Santa Cruz
  • Olivia Hull (Ph.D. 2023) Staff Scientist at National Renewable Energy Laboratory
    • Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellow (2018 – 2022)
  • Shana Havenridge (Ph.D. 2023) Postdoc at Argonne National Laboratory with Cong Liu.
  • Pratima Pandeya (Ph.D. 2021) Currently Research Assistant in the Aikens group. Was postdoc at Northeastern University with Sijia Dong (2021 – 2023)
  • Gowri Udayangani Kuda-Singappulige (Ph.D. 2021) Postdoc at Illinois Institute of Technology with Sohail Murad
  • Ravithree Senanayake (Ph.D. 2018) Research and Development Scientist III at ThermoFisher. Was postdoc at Johns Hopkins University with Rigoberto Hernandez and postdoc at University of Minnesota with Chris Cramer.
  • L. Dimuthu M. Weerawardene (Ph.D. 2017) Adjunct faculty at Pima Community College and postdoc with Nasser Peyghambarian at the University of Arizona. Was postdoc at Baylor University with Kevin Shuford.
  • Natalia Karimova (Ph.D. 2017) Postdoc at University of California, Irvine with Benny Gerber
  • Amendra Fernando Hewa Dewage (Ph.D. 2016) Senior scientist at Pfizer. Was postdoc at MIT with Bernhardt Trout and postdoc at Yale University with Victor Batista.
  • Brian Barngrover (Ph.D. 2015) Associate Professor at Stephen F. Austin State University
  • Emilie Guidez (Ph.D. 2014) Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado, Denver. Was postdoc with Mark Gordon at Iowa State University
  • Lila Pandey (2008–2013) Professor at Rammani Multiple Campus, Nepal

Former Co-Advised Graduate Students (Primary Advisor: Stefan Bossmann)

  • Macy Payne (Ph.D. 2022)
  • Ivina Mali (Ph.D. 2022)
  • Sumia Ehsan (Ph.D. 2022)

Former Visiting Students

  • Vera Truttmann (Visiting Ph.D. student from TU Wien on Marshall Fellowship; Fall 2021)
  • Jérémy Vincenot (Visiting M.S. student from Polytech Clermont Ferrand, Blaise Pascal University, France; Summer 2008)

Former Undergraduate Students

  • Peter Gorges (B.S. 2024)
  • Aiden Lindsay (REU student, Summer 2022)
  • Jacqueline Pinkerton (REU student, Summer 2021)
  • Tingrui Zhang (B.S. 2020)
  • Alice Li (REU student, Summer 2019). Ph.D. program in Chemistry at Northwestern University (current).
  • Marquix Adamson (B.S. 2017). D. program in Chemistry at Iowa State University (current).
  • Hannah Devore (B.S. 2017). Validation Chemist 2 for Pfizer in McPherson, KS.
  • Katherine Skinner (REU student, Summer 2016). SunCare Product and Process Innovation Scientist for Johnson & Johnson.
  • Timothy Manges (B.S. 2016). Environmental Specialist for the City of Manhattan Public Works.
  • Michael Just (B.S. 2016) S. in Chemistry from the University of Missouri, Kansas City. Now Research and Development Chemist at Synexis Biodefense.
  • Juliana Knopp (B.S. 2016). Fermentation Specialist at Meati Foods in Boulder, CO.
  • Andrew Warner (B.S. 2016)
  • Tyler Haddock (SUROP student, Summer 2014). D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Illinois. Now Postdoc at Argonne National Laboratory.
  • David Tierney (B.S. 2015) Sweetener Specialist at Cargill in Iowa.
  • Timothy Cobb (B.S. 2015) Laboratory Analyst at Universal Health Services, Inc. in Boise, Idaho.
  • Suzanne Kucera (REU student, Summer 2013). D. in Theoretical Chemistry at the University of Notre Dame. Postdoc with George Schatz at Northwestern University. Was Assistant Professor at Henderson State University. Now at Honeywell in Kansas City, MO.
  • Emily Kinder Bonilla (B.S. 2014) Received an M.S. in Nutrition from Kansas State University. Works for the Kansas State Department of Education in Overland Park, KS.
  • Brandon Dale (B.S. 2014) Systems Validation Specialist at ICON plc in Olathe, Kansas.
  • Karmen Harris Gooch (B.S. 2012, Developing Scholars program). Process and Training Manager at Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, MO.
  • Christian Montes (B.S. 2012) Research and Development Specialist III at Bayer Crop Sciences in Kansas City.
  • Jacob Hull (B.S. 2012). D. in Pharmacology/Neuroscience at the University of Michigan. Now postdoc at Stanford University.
  • Hannah Johnson Colmer (B.S. 2011). Received her Ph.D. in Physical Inorganic Chemistry from the University of Kansas. Now Associate Professor at the University of St. Mary.
  • Katie Brewer (B.S. 2010)
  • Allison Hadley (B.S. 2009). Received her M.D. from the University of Kansas Medical Center. Completed her residency at University of Minnesota Pediatric Residency. Works at Children’s Mercy in Kansas City, and is a Clinical Assistant Professor at University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine and University of Kansas School of Medicine.
  • Makenzie Provorse Long (B.S. 2009). D. in Theoretical Chemistry from the University of Minnesota in 2014. Became a postdoc at the University of California, Merced. Became an Assistant Professor at the University of Central Arkansas in Fall 2017. Now Assistant Professor at Creighton University (Fall 2023).

Former High School Students

  • Tejaswi Shrestra, Manhattan High School (2018 – 2019)
  • Sifat Sidhu, Manhattan High School (2019)