John Kiernicki, Principal Investigator
John was born in Berlin, a small town in central Wisconsin and the self-proclaimed Fur and Leather Capital. He obtained an A.B. from Ripon College (WI) as a double major in Chemistry and History. John was fortunate to have the opportunity to spend a summer in the lab of Hairong Guan at the Univ. Cincinnati for a 10 week crash course in synthesis. John continued studying the coordination chemistry of polydentate sulfur ligands with transition metals under the guidance of Mas Iimura until he departed for Lafayette, IN and graduate school at Purdue University. At Purdue, John worked almost exclusively with the actinide elements and obtained his Ph.D. under Suzanne Bart. Their work focused on utilizing redox-active ligands to perform multi-electron bond cleavage reactions. After Purdue, John relocated to Ypsilanti for a post doctoral appointment at the Univ. Michigan under Nate Szymczak where he investigated intramolecular boron Lewis acids to promote bond activation reactions. In 2021, John accepted a position at Drury University as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Physics.
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Audrey DavisAudrey joined the Kiernicki lab in the spring of 2022 and her research is focused on designing in situ tunable organocatalysts. In the fall of 2022, Audrey was named a Judge Warren White Scholar for her academic excellence. Audrey performed research with Dr. Kiel Neumann at the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in the summer of 2023. In 2024, Audrey was named a Barry Goldwater Scholar. She will perform summer research in 2024 at Kansas University.
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Lydia DunawayLydia joined the Kiernicki lab in the spring of 2022 and is interested in becoming a physician. Lydia will attend Mizzou for medical school and was accepted into the Bryant Scholars Pre-Admissions Program. After her first year at Drury, Lydia was named a Judge Warren L. White Scholar for her academic achievements. Her research project is aimed at developing a working model to quantitatively establish bonding thermodynamics with redox-active hydrogen bonds. In her free time, Lydia enjoys anything music related, such as playing the flute, listening to music or watching musicals. In addition, she enjoys shopping, traveling, and partaking in outdoor activities.
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Alexis WorkmanAlexis joined the Kiernicki Lab in January 2023 and plans to go into the medical field. Her research project involves measuring bond enthalpies in rigid systems containing redox-active hydrogen bonds. She is currently on both the Drury Track & Field team and the Drury Triathlon team. When not training or in class, Alexis enjoys being outdoors, spending time with family and close friends, as well as cuddling and playing with her dogs. In the fall of 2022, Alexis was named a Judge Warren L. White Scholar by Drury for her academic achievements.
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Mason HuebnerMason joined the Kiernicki Lab in March 2023 and plans to attend medical school following his time at Drury. His research is focused on the ligand design to better capitalize on hydrogen bonding interactions in coordination compounds. Upon completing his freshman year, Mason was named a Judge Warren White Scholar. He is an active member of Drury's Kappa Alpha Chapter, a Drury Orientation Leader, and a member of numerous clubs. In his free time, Mason likes spending time with family and friends, exercising, and being outdoors.
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Tori CarterTori joined the Kiernicki lab in the summer of 2023 and plans to become a physician. Her current research is focused on developing new zinc Lewis acid catalysts in collaboration with Prof. Albert Korir. In her free time, Tori enjoys hiking, spending time with her pets, and traveling. She is also involved with the Fine Arts on campus and helps set up the gallery.
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Sam CoxSam joined the Kiernicki lab in the summer of 2023 and has a strong desire to enter the medical field. Her research project targets implementing redox-active hydrogen bonds into coordination complexes of the f-block. Sam will perform summer research in 2024 at Ole Miss. She is a member of Drury Singers, Drury Chorale, and Drury Chamber Choir. In her free time, she enjoys reading books, listening to music, and spending time with family and friends.
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Rana UmranRana officially joined the Kiernicki Lab in the spring of 2023 and is interested in pursuing a career in research and earning her Ph. D. in Chemistry. Her research project centers on quantifying the enthalpic changes in hydrogen bond strength as a function of redox state. Rana will perform summer research in 2024 at Saint Louis University. She is an executive member of the International Student Association and is involved with Zeta Tau Alpha and the Drury Jazz Band. In her free time, Rana enjoys spending time with her family and friends, painting, sculpting, and outdoor activities.
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Christin GilchristChristin joined the Kiernicki Lab in the spring of 2024 and will be developing model coordination complexes that contain redox-active hydrogen bond acceptors. She holds an Associate of Science in Chemistry and is a dedicated science tutor at Ozarks Technical Community College. She is passionate about sharing her knowledge of science and plans to pursue a career in academia and research. Her interests include organic chemistry, molecular biochemistry, and genetic engineering. During her free time, Christin enjoys listening to podcasts and watching open-source lectures. Outside the world of academia, she finds joy in marveling at the natural world and participating in activities that allow her to blend engineering with creativity to craft functional objects.
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Former Lab Members
student (years in Kiernicki Lab)
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after Kiernicki Lab
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Gloria Choi (Summer 2023)
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Vanderbilt University, Class of 2026
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