Current Group Members
Michael Best
Principal Investigator
Disclaimer: this picture is just for fun and should not be taken seriously
Mayesha Mustafa
Graduate Student
B.S. University of Dhaka
Brooke Smith
Graduate Student
B.S. University of North Georgia
Kazi Shahriar
Graduate Student
B.S. University of Dhaka
Michael Kadiri
Graduate Student
B.S. University of Ibadan
Annaleena Hansen
Graduate Student
B.S. University of North Georgia
Rob Maraski
Graduate Student
B.S. Berry College
Mahbub Ullah
Graduate Student
B.S. University of Dhaka
Vu (Lynn) Nguyen
Undergraduate Student
Nathan Kaufman
Undergraduate Student
Alex Robertson
Undergraduate Student
Cameron Keeney
Undergraduate Student
Caleb Russell
Undergraduate Student
Nicolas Lane
Undergraduate Student
Honorary Group Members
Vincent and Jackson Best
Biscuit Best
B.S. in biting feet
Butters Best
B.S. in taking naps
Group Alumni
Ph.D. Graduates
Christelle Ancajas
Ph.D. in Chemistry 2023
B.S. Randolph-Macon College
Post-doctoral researcher, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Ruhani Sagar
Ph.D. in Chemistry 2023
B.S. and M.S. Panjab University
Post-doctoral researcher, University of California, Berkeley (Messersmith)
Megan Qualls
Ph.D. in Chemistry 2023
B.S. University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Addition Therapeutics, San Francisco, CA
Jinchao Lou
Ph.D. in Chemistry 2022
B.S. Northwest Normal University
Assistant Professor, University of Mississippi
Xiaoyu (Lucia) Zhang
Ph.D. in Chemistry 2019
Adam Carr
Ph.D. in Chemistry 2019
B.S. Virginia Tech
Post-doctoral researcher, UNC-Chapel Hill (Zhang)
Sam Mattern-Schain
Ph.D. in Chemistry 2018
Post-doctoral researcher, University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine (Mountain)
Orion Therapeutics, Boston, MA
Tanei Ricks
Ph.D. in Chemistry 2017
Post-doctoral researcher at the University of Memphis (Brewster)
Assistant Professor, University of Memphis
Shahrina Alam
Ph.D. in Chemistry 2016
B.S. University of Dhaka, M.S. Tennessee State University
Tennessee Department of Agriculture
Stuart Whitehead
Ph.D. in Chemistry 2016
B.S. Purdue University
Naval Surface Warfare Center
Andrew Bayer
Ph.D. in Chemistry 2014
R&D Chemistry, Avanti Polar Lipids, Inc.
Heidi Bostic
Ph.D. in Chemistry 2012
Associate Professor, Wofford College
Meng (Chloe) Rowland
Ph.D. in Chemistry 2011
NIH Ruth Kirschstein post-doctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins Medical School (Stivers)
Faculty Position at University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Chi-Linh Do-Thanh
Ph.D. in Chemistry 2011
Post-doctoral researcher at the University of Tennessee (Dai)
Director of R&D, Silvis Materials
Matt Smith
Ph.D. in Chemistry 2009
Dean of Natural Sciences and Professor of Chemistry, Walters State Community College
M.S. Graduates
Justin Kirby
M.S. in Chemistry 2023
B.S. Wofford College
Matthew Johnson
M.S. in Chemistry 2020
B.S. Utah Valley University
Southwestern Jefferson County Schools
Sara Barker
M.S. in Chemistry 2019
Alexa J. Watson
M.S. in Chemistry 2019
B.S. Tennessee Wesleyan University
Zhengsu Yu
M.S. in Chemistry 2018
Graduate student at the University of Tokyo
Yilin Wang
M.S. in Chemistry 2012
Ph.D. in Chemistry, University of California at Irvine
Instructor at Orange Coast College
Benjamin Smith
M.S. in Chemistry 2013
Research scientist, Baxter Health Care, Arkansas
Ritu Nandal
M.S. in Chemistry 2010
Ashdeep Rajpal
Graduate Student
M.S. in Chemistry 2010
Chattem Chemicals, Chattanooga, TN
Senior Medical Economics Analyst, Fallon Health
Paul Petersen
M.S. in Chemistry 2010
Eastman Chemical, Dallas, TX
Visolis, Inc.
Manpreet Cheema
M.S. in Chemistry 2009
Graduate student at the University of Tennessee Food Science and Technology
Product Development Manager, Starbucks
Leah Cuthriell-Dawkins
M.S. in Chemistry 2009
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow 2006
Instructor of Chemistry, Wallace Community College
Erin Losey
M.S. in Chemistry Summer 2008
Galbraith Laboratories, Inc., Knoxville, TN
Y12 National Security Complex
Former Graduate Students
Shawn Cureton
Lead Salesforce Developer, CRM Passport
Mary Coulter
Former Postdoctoral Researchers
Kathrin Tscherch
Senior Technologist at the J.M. Smucker Company
Denghuang Gong
Ph.D., Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2004
Shijiazhuang Pharm Group R&D Center, Shijiazhuang, China
Undergraduate Researchers
REU Students
Emily Jaremba
2022 REU Student from Saginaw Valley State University
Graduate Student at Vanderbilt University
Sydney Bottcher
2021 REU Student from Samford University
Graduate Student in Chemistry at California Institute of Technology
Bolatito Babatunde
2019 REU Student from UNC-Chapel Hill
Business Analyst at Kearney
Shelby Hill
2017 REU Student from Wofford College
Graduate Student at the University of Southern California
Cynthia Bunders
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow 2007
B.S. Iowa State University
Ph.D. in Chemistry, NC State University
The Coca-Cola Company
Former Tennessee Undergraduates
Macy Hudson
Undergraduate Student
Graduate Student in Chemistry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Hannah Hagewood
Undergraduate Student
Medical Student, Indiana University
Omar Budayr
Undergraduate Student
Graduate Student in Biological & Biomedical Sciences, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Ryan Fisher
Undergraduate Student
Cameron Workman
Undergraduate Student
Ph.D. in Chemistry, University of Tennessee, Knoxville (Long)
Eastman Chemical, Inc.
Andrew Mikhael
Undergraduate Student
Medical Student at UT Health Science Center
Nicholas Galan
Undergraduate Student
Ph.D., University of Tennessee Knoxville (Brantley)
Post-doctoral Researcher, Oak Ridge National Lab
Zach Austin
Undergraduate Student
Ph.D. in Chemistry, Vanderbilt University
Post-doctoral researcher, Vanderbilt University
Juan Quintero
Undergraduate Student
TJ Yokley
Ph.D. in Chemistry, University of Memphis
Post-doctoral researcher, The Ohio State University
Post-doctoral researcher, Vanderbilt University
Alana Stein
Undergraduate Student
Ph.D. in Sociology, UC-Davis
Anna Walsh
Undergraduate Student
B.S. in Chemistry May 2015
M.D. Student at University of Tennessee Health Science Center, College of Medicine
Barrett Thompson
Undergraduate Student
B.S. in Chemistry May 2015
M.D. Student at University of Tennessee Health Science Center, College of Medicine
Lacy Cardwell
Undergraduate Student
B.S. in Chemistry May 2008
Dental Student at University of Tennessee Health Science Center, School of Dentistry
Brad Grimes
B.S. in Chemistry May 2006
Elizabeth Jacobs
Undergraduate Student
Graduate student at University of East Anglia (UK)
Andew Mabe
Undergraduate Student
Ph.D. in Chemistry, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Amy Pollard
2006 UT Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship
B.S. in Chemistry, May 2007
Ph.D. in Chemistry, LSU
American Radiation Services
John Prenshaw
Undergraduate Student
MD, University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Opthalmologist, White Eye Associates
Justin Reno
Undergraduate Student
2006 UT Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship
2007 Pfizer Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship
B.S. in Chemistry May 2008
M.D., East Tennessee State University School of Medicine
Amanda Sobhani
Farragut High School Student
Tyler Tantisook
Undergraduate Student
M.D., University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Chinenye Usoh
B.S. in Chemistry, May 2007
M.D. Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
Medical Doctor, Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Brittany Wallen
Pfizer Global Research Intern, Madrid, Spain
Undergraduate Student
PharmD, Touro College of Pharmacy
Tim Weatherall
Undergraduate Student
B.S. in Chemistry May 2008
M.D. East Tennessee State University School of Medicine
Tim Wesley
Undergraduate Student
B.S. in Chemistry May 2008
Medical Student at East Tennessee State University School of Medicine
| Year | Name | Home Institution | Current Position |
| 2011 | Jordan Ross | Samford University | Medical School at University of Tennessee Health Science Center |
| 2011 | Neelam Khanal | Columbia College | Chemistry graduate student at Indiana University |
| 2012 | Kevin Robb | Truman State University | Chemistry graduate student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne |
| 2014 | Pilar Orozco | Newman University | |
| 2015 | Laney Browder | Western Carolina University | |
| 2015 | Jake O’Leary | Birmingham Southern College | Chemistry graduate student at Columbia University |
| 2016 | Alexia Thomas | Jackson State University | |
| 2017 | Shelby Hill | Clemson University |