Bringing Organic and Inorganic Chemistry Together Reversibly Since 2016
YOUNG LAB
Who Are We?
PROF. MICHAEL C. YOUNG
Principal Investigator
Born in the land of tobacco, Mike began his chemistry career in mountainous Western Carolina studying hydrogen-bonded self-assembly with Prof. Brian D. Dinkelmeyer. Believing that biomimetic systems held great promise for greener catalysis, Mike then traveled to the also mountainous Inland Empire of Southern California to study self-assembled cages and their applications towards organocatalysis with Prof. Richard J. Hooley. Hoping to expand his synthetic chops, Mike then traveled to the hilly part of south central Texas to work with Prof. Guangbin Dong, exploring dynamic covalent strategies for directed C–H functionalization of ketones and amines and occasionally trying to help "Keep Austin Weird." Now he leads his own group in the less-than-hilly Toledo area, attempting to combine all of his hydrogen-bonding and self-assembly know-how towards more useful C–H functionalizatoin for derivatization of sustainable feedstocks for therapeutic, energy, and materials applications.
DR. SATHEESH VANAPARTHI
Postdoc (2021 - Present)
Satheesh obtained his PhD from IIT - Guwahati under the tutelage of Prof. Tharmalingam Punniyamurthy. After a postdoctoral stint with Prof. Graham de Ruiter at Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Satheesh joined the Young group in December 2021, where he works on development of new Rh materials. Outside of the lab, Satheesh loves crickets (and also the game) and chess.
KENDRA SHRESTHA
PhD Student (2019 - Present)
Before coming to The University of Toledo to pursue his PhD in organic chemistry, Kendra completed a Master's Degree in Chemistry from Tribhuvan University in Nepal. After his degree he worked as a chemistry teacher for four years. His work in the Young group focuses on using hydrogen bonding and self-assembly for catalysis. In his free time, he loves listening to music and spending time with friends and family.
INDUNIL ALAHAKOON
PhD Student (2019 - Present)
Indunil holds a BSc. (sp) degree in Chemistry from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, where she focused on the synthesis of nanocomposites for water purification. After two years of employment in industry, she came to the US to pursue her PhD. In the lab, her interests span rhodium catalysis and materials. Outside of the lab, she loves practicing Latin dance moves and traveling with her husband. She strongly believes shopping is the best medicine, and can improve any mood!
ANKITA MISHRA
PhD Student (2022 - Present)
Ankita earned her master's degree in organic chemistry in 2019 from the University of Pune in India. For nearly 2 years, she worked in the R & D department of a pharmaceutical company (CRO). She received an outstanding performance award in December 2020 for completing 10 molecules with 23 steps in a month. She joined the Young group in Spring 2022. Her primary areas of interest in research are the C-H activation of unprotected allylamines to give unsaturated lactams and en-ynes. Beyond lab, she loves to play mobile games ( PUBG and Call of Duty) with her husband. Additionally, she enjoys creative pursuits such as painting, and dancing to Punjabi music, talking to my family and friends, and occasionally cooking well.
OLUTAYO "NATE" FARINDE
PhD Student (2022 - Present)
Olutayo Nathanael earned his B.Sc. in Analytical and Environmental Chemistry from the University of Ibadan in Nigeria.
He is currently working on C-H activation and functionalization of allylamines, with the goal of developing new therapeutics, natural products, or materials.
When the lab is closed and the reactions have subsided, he enjoys playing chess and soccer.
TYLER CHITWOOD
BS Student (2022 - Present)
Tyler the odd one in the group being a pharmacy student in an organic synthesis lab. However, chemistry is chemistry at the end of the day and the Young's group bonds well with each other, and he says joining the group has been a fun and productive space to learn! What first interested Tyler in chemistry is how things change on such a small scale and how a small difference in a molecule can make such a big difference! Tyler currently works with Anita on the development of new lactam synthetic methods.
