People

Current Members

Andy Thomas

Andy started at Texas A&M in the summer of 2020.

Raja Sk

Post-Doctoral Researcher (Spring 2023-present)

Raja is from West Bengal, India. He did his B.Sc. from the University of Kalyani, India. Then he joined IIT Kharagpur and completed his M.Sc. with a master’s thesis on synthesizing halogenated anthraquinone by anionic annulation. In December 2022, Raja earned his Ph.D. at IIT Kharagpur, where he worked on weakly coordinating ketone-directed C–H functionalization, and annulative π-extension reaction. He joined the Thomas Group in the spring of 2023, focusing on site- and stereoselective organometallic chemistry. He enjoys playing cricket in his free time.

Dang Ho

Post-Doctoral Research (Spring 2024-present)

Dang is originally from Vietnam. He graduated from VNU-HCM University of Science with a B.Sc. In 2019, he obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Strasbourg, where he worked with Dr. Jean-Pierre Djukic on synthesizing and characterizing Iridium silylene complexes. Dang was a postdoctoral researcher at the Medicines For All Institute-Virginia Commonwealth University under Professor Josh Sieber, his work focused on the mechanistic study of reductive coupling reactions of ketones and allenamides as well as synthesizing drugs and manufacturing pharmaceuticals. Dang joined the Thomas group in Spring 2024. He is currently working on organometallic chemistry. In his free time, he plays badminton and soccer.

Ravinder Kaur

Post-Doctoral Researcher (Summer 2024-present)

Ravinder is from Punjab, India. She obtained her bachelor's from PAU, Ludhiana where she worked in organic and natural product chemistry. She obtained her PhD from the University of Mississippi, where she worked with Dr. Jared Delcamp on designing, synthesizing, and characterizing small organic chromophores with applications in optoelectronics materials and bioimaging. Ravinder also practiced fabrication, optimizing and characterizing dye-sensitized solar cell optoelectronic devices.
She joined the Thomas lab in the summer of 2024 and is currently working on the development of ozonolysis and photoredox reactions. In her free time, Ravinder enjoys listening to music, walking, and reading.

Danniel Arriaga

Graduate Student (Fall 2020-present)

Danniel graduated from Iowa State University with his B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering and a double major in Chemistry in December 2019. There, he worked on developing a synthesis for isothiazoles and the substituent effects of ESIPT fluorophores via Linear Free Energy Relationships under the direction of Dr. Brett VanVeller. In the Thomas Group, he is working on further developing ozonolysis reactions. In Danniel’s free time, he enjoys writing, running, and playing guitar.

Lupita S. Aguirre

Graduate Student (Fall 2020-present)

Lupita completed a B.Sc. in Biochemistry at the University of Texas at Austin and an M.Sc. in Chemistry at Texas State University under the direction of Dr. Christopher P. Rhodes. There she worked on the development of support catalysts using transition metal oxides for applications in fuel cells. She joined Dr. Thomas’ research group in Fall 2020 and her current research interest lies in the development of asymmetric Negishi cross-coupling reactions. In her free time, Lupita likes to walk, bake, and most of all spend time with her friends.

Jeanette Piña

Graduate Student (Fall 2020-present)

Jeanette obtained her Bachelor's degree in chemistry at the University of North Alabama. In the summer of 2019, she completed an REU for chemical engineering under the supervision of Prof. Jason E. Bara at the University of Alabama. While there she worked on the variation of monomer structures in order to understand the properties of imidazolium ionenes. In her last year, she worked under the supervision of Dr. Amanda Coffman on the synthesis of triarylsulfonium ionic liquids. In the Thomas Group, she is working on developing catalyst transfer polymerization reactions. In her free time, Jeanette likes to read and binge watch TV shows.

Seokmin Kang

Graduate Student (Summer 2022-Present)

Seokmin is from Seoul, South Korea. He completed his bachelor's and master's degrees in chemistry at Inha University where he worked on nucleophilic fluorination under Prof. Dong Wook Kim. During his time at Inha University, he also worked on covalent organic frameworks for bioimaging. Seokmin moved to TAMU in the Fall of 2020. He joined the Thomas Lab in the summer of 2022 and is working on developing ozonolysis. In his free time, Seokmin enjoys playing computer games, guitar, and basketball. Seokmin usually plays games and likes to eat delicious food.

Han-Hsiang Hsu

Graduate Student (Fall 2021-prsent)

Han-Hsiang obtained his Bachelor's degree from National Taiwan University, Taiwan, where he worked on transition metal cross-coupling reactions under the supervision of Professor Shiuh-Tzung Liu. He joined Dr. Thomas’ research group in Fall 2021 and his current research topic is on Negishi Coupling reactions. Outside of the lab, he also enjoys chemistry in kitchen, and playing the cello.

Cheng-Chun Chen

Graduate Student (Fall 2022-present)

Cheng-Chun is from Taiwan. He obtained his Bachelor's degree in Chemistry at the National Central University, where he worked on the oxidation of arenes and benzannulation under the supervision of Professor Hou, Duen-Ren. He joined the Thomas Group in the fall of 2022 and is working on developing asymmetric rearrangement. Cheng likes to watch movies and fun YouTube videos and cook during his free time.

Wentao Cen

Graduate Student (Summer 2023-present)

Wentao is from Guangzhou, China. He received his Bachelor's degree in material science from South China University, where he worked on polyimide synthesis under Dr. Mingjun Huang. He is currently working on nickel and palladium complexes and the synthesis of phosphine ligands. In his free time, Wentao practices jiu-jitsu

Shu-Kai Chen

Graduate Student (Fall 2023)

Shu-Kai is from Nantou, Taiwan. He received his Bachelor's degree in chemistry from the National Taiwan University where he worked on the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds with Prof. Shiuh-Tzung Liu. He joined the Thomas Group in the fall of 2023 and is currently working on lithium chemistry. Shu-Kai likes to spend time with his friends and he enjoys playing badminton. He also listens and plays percussion music.

Daniel Sarna

Graduate Student (Fall 2023)

Daniel is from Tyler, Texas. He received his Bachelor's degree in chemistry from Texas A&M where he worked on immobilizing a nickel catalyst on silica with Prof. Bluemel. He joined the Thomas Group in the fall of 2023 and is currently working on lithium chemistry to functionalize oxygen heterocycles.

Ben Brekke

Graduate Student (Summer 2024-present)

Ben is from Burnsville, Minnesota. He obtained his Bachelor's degree in chemistry from Concordia College at Moorhead. Ben conducted research with Kadarikasmy Mariappan at the University of South Dakota on the synthesis of Ruthenium complexes for their application in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells. He also conducted research with Prof. Courtney Roberts at the University of Minnesota on the synthesis of electronically biased boryl-aryl triflate arynes. Ben joined the Thomas Group in the Summer of 2024, where he is currently working on the development of asymmetric Negishi cross-coupling reactions. In his free time, Ben likes to watch and play all kinds of different sports