The Leighton Group

Graduate Students

Joshua Infantine (Ph.D. 2017)
Thesis: Total Synthesis of the EF Fragment of Spongistatin 1 en Route to a Spongistatin 1 Analog (pdf)
Life Science Consultant, Charles River Associates, NY

Nathaniel Kim (Ph.D. 2016)
Thesis: Single Molecule Conductance and Junction Breakdown of Strained Cyclic Disilanes (pdf)
Post-Doc at Sloan-Kettering with Kayvan Keshari

Linda Suen (Ph.D. 2015)
Thesis: Synthetic Innovations in Efforts Toward the Development of Spongistatin 1 as an Anti-Cancer Therapeutic (pdf)
Merck (Medicinal Chemistry), West Point, PA

Carolyn Wei (Ph.D. 2015)
Thesis: Efforts Towards the Total Synthesis of Cyclocitrinol
Bristol-Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, NJ

Corinne Foley (Ph.D. 2014)
Thesis: The Development and Application of a New Approach to the Rapid Synthesis of Polypropionate Stereotriads (pdf)
Post-Doc at Sloan-Kettering with Derek Tan

Stephen Ho (M.D./Ph.D. 2013)
Thesis: Studies in Polyketide Total Synthesis (pdf)
Post-Doc at Stanford with Paul Wender

Alexander Buitrago Santanilla (Ph.D. 2013)
Thesis: New Approaches towards the Asymmetric Allylation of the Formyl and Imino Groups via Strained Silane Lewis Acids (pdf)
Post-Doc at Merck with Spencer Dreher

Steven Schwartz (M.A. 2013)

Sharon Lee (Ph.D. 2012)
Thesis: Enantioselective (Formal) Aza-Diels-Alder Reactions with Danishefsky's Diene and Non-Danishefsky Type Dienes (pdf)
Post-Doc at UCSF with Kevan Shokat
Associate Consultant, Adivo Associates, San Francisco, CA

Sam Reznik (Ph.D. 2012)
Thesis: Methodological Innovations in Polyketide Synthesis and their Application toward the Scalable Synthesis of Anti-Tumor Agent Spongistatin 1 (pdf)
BMS (Medicinal Chemistry), Hopewell, NJ

Carrie Yozwiak (M.A. 2012)
Ph.D. at Columbia University with Brent Stockwell

Chris Plummer (Ph.D. 2011)
Thesis: Strategic Applications of Tandem Reactions in Complex Natural Product Synthesis: Rapid Access to the (Iso)Cyclocitrinol Core (pdf)
Merck (Medicinal Chemistry), Rahway, NJ

Greg Chin (M.A. 2011)
Gilead (Medicinal Chemistry), CA

Jenny Baxter Vu (Ph.D. 2010)
Thesis: Enantioselective Mannich-type Reactions Promoted by Strained Silane Lewis Acids (pdf)
Post-Doc at Florida State with Robert Holton
Faculty, Valdosta State University, GA

Miriam Inbar Feske (Ph.D. 2010)
Thesis: Enantioselective Allylation, Crotylation, and Cinnamylation of Imines and Designing a Process-Friendly Synthesis of α-Kainic Acid (pdf)
Halcyon Molecular
Latham & Watkins (Technical Analyst), CA

Corey Valdez (Ph.D. 2010)
Thesis: New Developments in the Chemistry of Strained Silicon Lewis Acids: Imine Allylations and Tandem Ylide Addition/Ring-Opening Reactions (pdf)
Clinical Assistant Professor, New York University

Kristy Tran (Ph.D. 2009)
Thesis: Synthetic Applications of Silicon Lewis Acids: Total Synthesis of MS-153 and Manzacidin C (pdf)
Post-Doc at Cal Tech with Brian Stoltz
BMS, Princeton, NJ

Peter Park (Ph.D. 2008)
Thesis: Total Synthesis of Dolabelide D (pdf)
Post-Doc at Columbia University with Samuel J. Danishefsky

Arash Soheili (Ph.D. 2008)
Thesis: A Transannular Cope Approach Toward the Core Structure of Isocyclocitrinol (pdf)
Merck (Process Research), Rahway, NJ
MarketSmart (Digital Media Speacialist), Washington, D.C.

John Huber (Ph.D. 2007)
Thesis: Enantioselective Imine Cinnamylation: Rapid Construction of Contiguous Benzylic and Carbinamine Stereocenters (pdf)
Boehringer Ingelheim (Medicinal Chemistry), Ridgefield, CT
Merck
BMS (Regulatory Manager), NJ

Nicholas Perl (Ph.D. 2007)
Thesis: Strained Silanes as Lewis Acids for the Construction of Carbon-Carbon Bonds (pdf)
Post-Doc at Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center with David Gin
Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Boston, MA

Blain M. Hackman (Ph.D. 2006)
Thesis: Strained Silacycles: New Reagents for Asymmetric Allylation and Crotylation of Aldehydes and Ketones (pdf)
Georgetown University, (Licensing Associate, Office of Technology Commercialization)
Frommer Lawrence & Haug LLP

Pamela Lombardi (Ph.D. 2006)
Thesis: Strained Silacycles in the Development of New Asymmetric Reactions (pdf)
Post-Doc at Boston College with Amir Hoveyda
Assistant Professor, Stonehill College, MA

Phillippe Rabbat (Ph.D. 2006)
Thesis: Asymmetric Allylation of Imines with Strained Silacycle Reagents; Toward the Rapid Synthesis of the C1-C9 Fragment of the Epothilones by Tandem Silylformylation-Crotylsilylation (pdf)
Post-Doc at Siba Specialty Chemicals, Tarrytown, NY
BASF (Marketing Manager), NJ

Sergei Bloshakov (Ph.D. 2005)
Thesis: Total synthesis of (+)-SCH 351448 (pdf)
Henkel (Head of R&D), Russia
Oriflame, Russia

Xiaolun Wang (Ph.D. 2005)
Thesis: Strained Silacycles in Organic Synthesis: The Tandem Aldol-Allylatio/Aldol-Aldol Reaction and their Asymmetric Variations (pdf)
Pfizer
Takeda, San Diego, CA

Yue Xu (M.A. 2005)
Ph.D. at UC Berkeley with Dirk Trauner

Richard Berger (Ph.D. 2004)
Thesis: The Enantioselective Allylation of Aldehyde and Ketone Derived Acylhydrazones Using Strained Silacycles: A Study of Reactivity and Mechanism (pdf)
Merck (Medicinal Chemistry), Rahway, NJ

Bastien Castagner (Ph.D. 2004, Post-Doc 2005)
Thesis: Studies Toward an Asymmetric Total Synthesis of the Phomoidrides (pdf)
Post-Doc at ETH, Zurich with Peter Seeberger
Group Leader at ETH, Zurich

Chris Hamblett (Ph.D. 2004)
Thesis: A Total Synthesis of Leucascandrolide A; Efforts Toward A Synthesis of Phomactin A; The First Silicon-Based Lewis Acid Catalyst That Achieves High Enantioselectivity (pdf)
Merck (Medicinal Chemistry), Boston, MA
Cowen & Company, M

Steve O'Malley (Ph.D. 2004)
Thesis: Tandem Alkyne Silylformylation-Allylsilylation Reactions and Studies Toward a Total Synthesis of Dolabelide B (pdf)
Post-Doc at UC Berkeley with Jonathan Ellman
Teacher, Stuyvesant High School, NY

Christine DiBlasi (Ph.D. 2003)
Thesis: Studies Toward a Total Synthesis of Phomactin A: A Tandem Ring-Closing Metathesis Approach (pdf)
Post-Doc at Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center with Derek Tan
Lecturer, Brandeis University

Isaac Krauss (Ph.D. 2003)
Thesis: Highly Regioselective Diastereoselective Directed Hydroformylation of Allyl Ethers; Highly Practical and Enantioselective Ligands for Copper-Catalyzed Conjugate Addition (pdf)
Post-Doc at Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center with Samuel J. Danishefsky
Assistant Professor, Brandeis University

Pui Yee Ng (Ph.D. 2003)
Thesis: Studies Toward the use of Non-Conventional Hydrogen Bonding in Chiral Lewis Acid Catalyst Design; Strained silacycles in organic synthesis: Novel Reagents for the Asymmetric Allylation Reaction (pdf)
Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge, MA

Quinglin Meng (M.A. 2003)
Ph.D. at Columbia University with Nicholas Turro
AAT Bioquest, Inc., CA

Andrew Nation (M.A. 2003)
BMS (Drug Discovery), Lawrenceville, NJ

Michael Zacuto (Ph.D. 2003)
Thesis: Tandem Silylformylation-Allylsilylation Reactions for the Synthesis of Polyketides (pdf)
Merck (Process R&D), Rahway, NJ

Keith Hornberger (Ph.D. 2002)
Thesis: The Total Synthesis of Leucascandrolide A; Studies Directed Toward the Total Synthesis of Ingenol (pdf)
OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Medicinal Chemistry), Farmingdale, NY
Boehringer Ingelheim

Matt Bio (Ph.D. 2001)
Thesis: Studies Toward a Total Synthesis of CP-263,114 (pdf)
Amgen, CA

Stella Sarraf (Ph.D. 2001)
Thesis: Carbonylation-Based Methods for the Synthesis of Skipped Polyols (pdf)
Merck (Process R&D), Rahway, NJ
Scientific Consulting Inc, Beverly Hills, CA
Foresite Capital, CA
Amydis Diagnostics (Founder), CA

Diedre (O'Neil) Annis (M.A. 1996)
Eli Lilly (Elanco Animal Health), Greenfield, IN

Post-Doctoral Reseachers

Liang-An Chen (2018)
The Brown Group, University of Indiana Bloomington

Kevin Williamson (2016)
Gilead Sciences (Process Chemistry), San Francisco, CA

Jürgen Rotzler (2013)
Solvias, Switzerland

Wes Chalifoux (2012)
Assistant Professor, University of Nevada, Reno

Heike Schönherr (2012)
Post-Doc at Columbia in Ophthalmology
AstraZeneca (Medicinal Chemistry), Boston, MA

Paul Tanis (2012)
Takeda California (Medicinal Chemistry), San Diego, CA

Ryan Shade (2011)
Post-Doc at Columbia with Luis Campos
BioMarin Pharmaceutical, CA

Hyunwoo Kim (2010)
Assistant Professor, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

Uttam K. Tambar (2009)
Assistant Professor, UT Southwestern Medical Center

Tyler Harrison (2009)
Novartis (Medicinal Chemistry), Boston, MA

Jun Pan (2009)
Merck (Process Research), Rahway, NJ

Farhan R. BouHamdan (2008)
Assistant Professor, Prince Fahd Bin Sultan University, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
Syngenta Crop Protection Muenchwilen AG, Stein, Switzerland

Greg Notte (2008)
Gilead (Medicinal Chemistry), CA

Jared Spletstoser (2008)
GlaxoSmithKline (Principal Scientist, Medicinal Chemistry), PA

Nadine Vogl (2007)
Degussa (Senior Scientist), Germany

Seiji Shirakawa (2005)
Associate Professor, Kyoto University, Japan

Drew Duncan (2004)
Associate Professor at Willamette University

Katsumi Kubota (2003)
Dainippon Sumitomo Pharmaceutical Ltd. (Medicinal Chemistry), Osaka, Japan

Darby Schmidt (2003)
Merck (Medicinal Chemistry), Rahway, NJ
Visiting Lecturer, Princeton University
Tempero Pharmaceuticals
FORMA Therapeutics, MA

James Kinnaird (2002)
Potter Clarkson LLP
Marks & Clerk Singapore LLP

Charles Wang (2001)
Assistant Professor, University of Hong Kong

Spencer Dreher (2001)
Merck (Process R&D), Rahway, NJ

John Allen (1998)
Amgen (Medicinal Chemistry), Thousand Oaks, CA

Undergraduate Students

Tyler St. Denis (B.A. 2015)
Ph.D. at The Scripps Research Institute with Jin-Quan Yu

Won Seok Ham (B.A. 2013)
Ph.D. at Harvard University with Tobias Ritter

Cyril Bucher (B.A. 2013)
Ph.D. at Stanford University with Noah Burns

Brian Marcus (B.A. 2011)
M.D. at Yale School of Medicine

Julia Kalow (B.A. 2008)
Ph.D. at Princeton University with Abigail Doyle
Post-Doc at MIT with Tim Swager

Noah Burns (B.S. 2004)
Ph.D. at Scripps Research Institute with Phil Baran
Assistant Professor, Stanford University

Patrick Holder (B.S. 2003)
Ph.D. at UC Berkeley with Matthew Francis
Post-Doc at MIT and Harvard University with Daniel Nocera
Redwood Bioscience, CA

Andrew Goodwin (B.A. 2002)
Ph.D. at UC Berkeley with Jean Frechet
Assistant Professor, University of Colorado Boulder