Current Group Members
Ph.D. Students
Derek Leong
Summer 2018 - present
Derek received his B.S. in chemistry from Truman State University in 2018. His undergraduate research was focused on the synthesis of atmospherically relevant sulfate esters to better understand their effect on global warming or cooling. While at Truman he also had two different summer research projects, one that focused on synthesizing and testing biologically active crown ether compounds, and the other on synthesizing a novel poly[n]catenane architecture. Derek started in the Ozerov Group in the summer of 2018 and officially joined in the fall of that year. Derek's research is focused on synthesizing more reactive fluorinated trityl cation activators and developing methods for facile defluorination of perfluoroalkyl substances.
Contact: dwl3241@tamu.edu
Sam Lee
Fall 2019 - present
Sam received his B.S. from North Central College in June of 2019. At North Central, Sam worked primarily on developing a catalytic C-N coupling methodology for the synthesis of benzylic oximes and nitriles under the guidance of Dr. Nick Boaz. Under supervision of Dr. David Horner, Sam also worked towards elucidating the mechanism for these transformations using DFT calculations. Sam arrived at Texas A&M in the fall of 2019 and joined the Ozerov group in October of the same year. Sam is raising a cat, Duck, with his girlfriend. Sam is currently developing pyrrole-based PBP-metal complexes to study their potential as catalysts for C-H activation of heteroaryl systems.
Contact: samrlee97@tamu.edu
Noah Sladek
Fall 2021 - present
Noah received his B.S. in chemistry from the University of Houston in 2021, graduating with highest honors. As an undergraduate, he worked under the tutelage of Dr. Loi Do where he researched iridium catalyzed reductive amination and allyl carbamate cleavage catalyzed by ruthenium complexes. Noah arrived at Texas A&M in the Fall of 2021 and joined the Ozerov group later that year. Noah is currently researching developing novel PBP-metal complexes for their catalytic application in the ortho-selective alkylation of azines with olefins.
Contact: sladek@tamu.edu
Jovanny Contreras
Fall 2019 - present
Jovanny received his B.S. in chemistry from the University of North Georgia in 2021. His undergraduate research focused on PPV polymer synthesis under Dr. Brynna Quarles. He and his cat, Luna, arrived at Texas A&M in the fall of 2021 and joined the Ozerov group in October that same year. In his free time, Jovanny enjoys playing video games, running, and listening to music. Jovanny is currently researching the utility of a bis-stiborane pincer for small molecule activation, designing new PBP ligands and metal complexes, and synthesizing new metal complexes catalytic for arene hydrogenation.
Contact: jjcontreras@tamu.edu
Ka'Naysha Scott
Summer 2022 - present
Ka'Naysha received her B.S. in Chemistry from Chapman University in May of 2018. At Chapman, she worked on investigating the likely mechanisms for the reduction of ketones mediated by half-sandwich iridium(III)-, rhodium(III)-, and cobalt(III)-sulfur complexes under the guidance of Dr. O. Maduka Ogba, and through the use of DFT calculations. Ka'Naysha arrived in the summer of 2022 and joined the Ozerov group soon after. Ka'Naysha is currently synthesizing various pincer-supported Pd-germyl complexes, in order to probe the relationship between Pd and Ge.
Contact: kanayshascott@tamu.edu
Joshua Daum
Fall 2022 - present
Joshua received his B.S. in chemistry from Brigham Young University in August of 2022. While at BYU, he studied the host-guest properties of resorcinarenes that were capped with various amino acids under Dr. Roger Harrison. Joshua moved to College Station with his wife and dog in the Fall of 2022 and joined the Ozerov Group that October. Joshua is currently working on synthesizing a new bimetallic fused pincer complex and pincer cobalt catalyzed C-O activation.
Contact: j907624@tamu.edu
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 worked with Dr. Stephanie Poland to develop new Lewis acidic aluminum catalysts for use in undergraduate inorganic chemistry labs. During his undergraduate years, he also completed a summer of research through the Purdue Energetics Research Center synthesizing new energetic materials. Jack arrived at Texas A&M in the fall of 2023 and joined the Ozerov group in October of the same year. Jack is currently researching new carboranes for use as weakly coordinating anions in hydrodefluorination reactions.
Contact: jraker@tamu.edu
Administrative Staff
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.
Contact: ozerov_asst@chem.tamu.edu