Group Members

Graduate Students

Jake Borges

Jake grew up in southeastern Massachusetts and graduated from the University of Massachusetts – Lowell with a degree in Chemistry and a minor in Mathematics. Jake then worked in industry for almost 2 years before starting his PhD at Auburn in 2022. In his free time Jake likes to read, think about new reactions, and hang out with his girlfriend and dog.

Jake favourite total synthesis is Nicolaou’s endiandric acids syntheses and his favourite reaction is the Nazarov cyclisation.

Tate Dark

Tate grew up in Alabama and graduated from Auburn University with a degree in Biomedical Sciences and a minor in Psychology. In his free time Tate likes to play chess and hang out with his girlfriend.

Tate’s favourite total synthesis is Gaich’s synthesis of canataxpropellane and his favourite reaction is to be determined.

Ishmam Ibnul Arabi

Ishmam grew up in Chittagong, Bangladesh and earned his B.Sc (Hons) in Chemistry and M.S. (Thesis) in Organic Chemistry from the University of Chittagong. Before starting PhD at Auburn, he began his academic career as a Lecturer in the Department of Textile Engineering at Green University of Bangladesh. He was also a Lecturer in the Department of Natural Science at Port City International University. In his free time, Ishmam enjoys watching football and cricket matches and is a passionate Real Madrid fan. He also loves writing articles and poems.

Ishmam’ favourite total synthesis is the Vitamin A1 synthesis and his favourite named reaction is the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction.

Addison Holck

Addison grew up in northern Illinois, and graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Superior with a degree in Chemistry. In her free time, she likes to read, hike, and bake.

Addison’s favorite synthesis is to be determined, but her favorite reaction is the oxy-cope rearrangement.

Undergraduate Students

Camden Myers

Camden grew up in Alabama and is a senior at Auburn University planning to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences on the pre-med track. In his free time, Camden enjoys spending time with his girlfriend, playing video games with friends, watching football and basketball, and watching SWAT.

Camden’s favourite total synthesis is Kobzev’s synthesis of theranostic Trastuzumab–SN38 conjugate and his favourite reaction is the Prilezhaev reaction.

Haley Gillin

Haley is from Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, and is currently pursuing her undergraduate degree in Chemistry with a minor in Spanish. In her free time, Haley enjoys baking and watching reality television.

Haley’s favorite total synthesis is Woodward’s synthesis of Strychnine. Haley’s favorite reaction is when Jake realized she could pack her own columns, but Glaser Couplings are a close second.

Sam Reyes

Sam grew up in Nashville TN and is working on his undergraduate degree in Chemistry with a minor in Spanish and Business. Sam aspires to go to medical school someday and in his free time he enjoys playing guitar, helping out at his church, and doing anything outdoors.

Sam’s favorite total synthesis and favorite reaction are to be determined.