Current
Members
Noah Sladek
Fall 2021 - present
Noah received his B.S. in chemistry from the University of Houston in Spring 2021. While at UH, he worked under the tutelage of Dr. Loi Do, researching reductive amination catalyzed by half-sandwich iridium complexes. Noah arrived at Texas A&M and joined the Ozerov group during Fall 2021. He is currently researching the ortho-selective C–H functionalization of azines catalyzed by PBP pincer complexes of rhodium, and developing novel early transition metal arene hydrogenation catalysts for application in chiral phosphine synthesis.
Jovanny Contreras
Fall 2021 - present
Jovanny received his B.S. in chemistry from the University of North Georgia in Spring 2021. His undergraduate research focused on PPV polymer synthesis under Dr. Brynna Quarles. He arrived at Texas A&M in Fall 2021 with his cat Luna and joined the Ozerov group in October that same year. Jovanny is currently researching the utility of a bis-stiborane pincer for small molecule activation, as well as designing novel PBP pincer ligand frameworks and complexes. In his free time, Jovanny enjoys playing video games, running, and listening to music.
Joshua Daum
Fall 2022 - present
Josh received his B.S. in chemistry from Brigham Young University in August 2022. While at BYU, he studied the host-guest properties of resorcinarenes capped with amino acids under the mentorship of Dr. Roger Harrison. Josh moved to College Station with his wife and dog in Fall 2022 and joined the Ozerov Group in October that same year. Josh is currently researching the hydrodefluorination of perfluoroalkanes catalyzed by silylium cations, and the synthesis of novel bimetallic fused pincer complexes.
Jack Raker
Fall 2023 - present
Jack received his B.S in chemical engineering and chemistry from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in 2023. At Rose-Hulman, he developed new Lewis acidic aluminum catalysts with Dr. Stephanie Poland for application in undergraduate inorganic chemistry labs and spent a summer synthesizing new energetic materials through the Purdue Energetics Research Center. Jack arrived at Texas A&M and joined the Ozerov group in Fall 2023, where he is currently researching the use of novel carboranes as weakly coordinating anions in hydrodefluorination reactions.
David de los Santos
Summer 2024 - present
David earned his B.S. and M.S. in chemistry from the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley in Spring 2024, where he worked with Dr. Manar Shoshani on the synthesis of dinucleating nickel complexes supported by redox-active ligands to exploit metal-metal and metal-ligand cooperativity and their utility as hydroboration catalysts. David arrived at Texas A&M and joined the Ozerov group in Summer 2024, where he is currently investigating the mechanism of pyridine reductive elimination from PBP pincer complexes. In his spare time, David enjoys playing tennis, golf, baseball, and other outdoor activities.
Yu-Hsin Chen
Fall 2024 - present
Yu-Hsin received his B.S. in chemistry from National Taiwan University in Summer 2022. At NTU, Yu-Hsin worked under the supervision of Dr. Ching-Wen Chiu on alkyne C-H borylation catalysis and silylene chemistry. Yu-Hsin arrived at Texas A&M in Fall 2024 and joined the Ozerov group in October of the same year. Yu-Hsin is currently synthesizing functionalized carborane anions to enhance cation solubility in the hydrodefluorination of perfluoroalkanes.
Shu-Kai Chen
Summer 2025 - present
Shu-Kai received his B.S. in chemistry from National Taiwan University in Summer 2022. At NTU, he synthesized heterocylic compounds under the mentorship of Dr. Shiuh-Tzung. Shu-Kai arrived at Texas A&M in Fall 2023 and joined the Ozerov lab during Spring 2025. His research is focused on the synthesis of novel transition metal complexes supported by the PBP pincer ligand. In his free time, Shu-Kai enjoys playing badminton.
Mohammad Bilal
Fall 2025 - present
Mohammad received his B.S. in Chemistry from Rice University in Spring 2025, where he worked with Dr. Hernández Sánchez on synthesizing resorcinarene-based conjugated molecular nanotubes and exploring their electronic properties. Following his graduation, Mohammad moved to Texas A&M and joined the Ozerov lab in Fall 2025, where he is currently synthesizing novel boryl-centered pincer ligand frameworks. Outside of lab, Mohammad spends his free time listening to music, reading French literature, and playing video games.
Joshua Greene
Fall 2025 - present
Joshua received his B.S. in Chemistry from Montana State University in Spring 2025. At MSU, he developed NASICON-type cathode materials for application in sodium-ion batteries under the mentorship of Dr. Nick Stadie. Joshua moved to Texas A&M in Fall 2025 and joined the Ozerov group in October of that same year. Joshua is currently developing a PNC pincer ligand containing an NHC flanking donor to enhance the reactivity of cobalt complexes toward catalytic C–S coupling.
Ruth Ann Gholson
Summer 2016 - present
Ruth Ann joined the Ozerov group as an administrative assistant in June 2016. She came from New Orleans, where she was an executive secretary for the U. S. Department of Agriculture. She graduated with a B.S. in Urban Planning and Studies from the University of New Orleans in Louisiana in 2011, after retiring from the U. S. Marine Corps. In her spare time she can be found with her children and grandchildren.
Recent
Graduates
Vinh Nguyen
Left for a postdoc position at
the Savannah River National
Laboratory in Aiken, SC
Fall 2018 - Fall 2023
Derek Leong
Left for a senior scientist
position with Entegris
in Danbury, CT.
Summer 2018 - Fall 2024
Sam Lee
Left for a postdoc position at
the Los Alamos National
Laboratory in Los Alamos, NM.