The Kiernicki lab is interested in recruiting highly motivated undergraduate students with a broad interest in synthesis.
Spring 2022
John Kiernicki, Principle Investigator
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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 Davis Audrey joined the Kiernicki lab in the spring of 2022 and has a strong interest in renewable energy. Her current research is focused on designing organocatalysts that can be tuned in situ to promote more efficient catalysis. In her free time, Audrey enjoys spending time outdoors, running, and reading. She also plays multiple instruments and is very involved with her church. In the fall of 2022, Audrey was named a Judge Warren White Scholar for her academic excellence.
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Lydia DunawayLydia joined the Kiernicki lab in the spring of 2022 and is interested in becoming a physician. She plans to 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 acivities.
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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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