Principal Investigator
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Johnathan N. Brantley
John began his academic career at Western Kentucky University, where he completed a B.S. degree in 2010. He then joined the laboratory of Professor Christopher Bielawski at the University of Texas at Austin. As an NSF predoctoral fellow, John investigated mechanically facilitated transformations within polymeric matrices. Following the completion of his Ph.D. in 2014, John began his postdoctoral studies under the guidance of Professor Dean Toste at the University of California, Berkeley. As an NIH postdoctoral fellow, John explored the synthesis and reactivity of trifluoromethyl iodonium salts. He joined the faculty at the University of Tennessee as an Associate Professor in 2017. Vertical Divider
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Graduate Students
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My name is Boris Ekonde Cobbold from Ghana. I am both an Ewe and Nzema currently pursuing my graduate studies in Chemistry under the Johnathan Brantley group and also a graduate teaching assistant at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
I had my undergraduate degree in Ghana from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. My goal is to make contributions to science and literature that'll definitely have a positive global impact by God's Grace. I love playing soccer, watching soccer games, hitting the gym and cooking anytime I get the opportunity other than studying, research and being in the lab. I love the world of organic chemistry and find the concepts so intriguing and fun. Life here hasn't been that easy but I must say has been fun since I get to learn a lot and get a feel of diversity. Vertical Divider
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Hima is Fall 2022 admit who has completed her M.S. (Hons) in Chemistry from Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India.
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Seth joined the Brantley group in the Fall of 2024. He studied at Murray State University in
Murray, KY where he obtained his B.S. in Chemistry. His previous research experience dives into semi-conducting polymers, metal-halide nanofibers, and ILC synthesis. While at UTK, Seth hopes to explore new areas of organic synthesis to expand the fundamental understanding of the field. Vertical Divider
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Benjamin has joined the lab in Fall 2023 and extremely passionate towards research. He had completed his undergraduate degree in Ghana from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. He is working on Structure-property relationship of polymers.
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Andrew joined the Brantley group in the Fall of 2024. He studied at Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, TN, where he obtained his B.S. in Chemistry with an ACS certification and a minor in Mathematics. At Tennessee Tech, Andrew explored the work of modified dyes and structural coloration of reactive pigments along with the supramolecular chemistry of ladder-type C-N linked conjugated polymers with Dr. William Carroll and Dr. Kyle Murphy. At UTK, Andrew hopes to explore the interface of polymer and organic chemistry with an emphasis on NMR spectroscopy.
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Undergraduate Students
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Jonathan Shepherd is a pre-med 3rd-year chemistry major from Memphis, TN. Over the past year, he has focused on terpene-based polymer synthesis, with the ultimate goal of developing and optimizing a camphene-based mechanism. When not in the lab, Jonathan can be found pursuing his interests in lifting, road course racing, cooking, and sailing. He also loves spending quality time with his bunny, Frankie. In the future, he aims to pursue a career in Dermatology with a specialization in Mohs microsurgery.
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