Group Members
The Brasch Group in July 2009.
Graduate Students
Rohan Dassanayake
About me. I am from the island of Sri Lanka, which is known as the pearl of the Indian Ocean. The name of my home town is Kandy. It is famous for many temples and could be called the cultural capital of the island. The most renowned temple in Kandy is the temple of the tooth relic. I majored in chemistry at the University of Peradeniya. Subsequently I joined the Brasch Group as part of the PhD program in Chemistry at Kent State University.
Research Interests. My work involves the study of the reactions of Vitamin B12 derivatives with reactive oxygen species in terms of their kinetics and mechanistic behavior.
Other Interests. Playing Cricket, Watching TV, Listening to music
Harishchandra Subedi
About me. I am from Nepal, the country of Mt. Everest – the highest peak in the world. I completed my Master’s Degree in Inorganic Chemistry from Tribhuvan University, Nepal in 2004. I came to Kent State University in August 2008 to join the PhD program in Chemistry. I am now working in Dr. Nicola Brasch’s lab.
Research Interests. I am interested to work with Vitamin B12 derivatives and currently synthesizing some of the cobalamins and studying the vanadium binding with them.
Other Interests. Watching comedy movies, visiting new places and listening to music.
Riya Mukherjee
About me. I am from Calcutta, a lively and big city in the eastern part of India. I completed my Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Physical Chemistry from University of Calcutta. I joined the Ph.D program in Chemistry at Kent State University in 2005 and started working with Dr. Nicola Brasch. The area of my research is Bioinorganic Chemistry.
Research Interests. I have been working on a wide variety of research projects. I started working on syntheses and spectroscopy of several V(III)/carboxylate complexes in aqueous solution. After that, I worked on vanadium-vitamin B12 bioconjugates and became interested in the chemistry of vitamin B12 derivatives or cobalamins. Currently I am working on syntheses and characterization of a novel thiolatocobalamin which may be beneficial for the treatment of diseases related to oxidative stress.
Other Interests. Reading books, listening to music, travel.
Publications
- Riya Mukherjee, Brenda A. Dougan, Fiona H. Fry, Scott D. Bunge, Christopher J. Ziegler, and Nicola E. Brasch; Structural and Spectroscopic Evidence for the Formation of Trinuclear and Tetranuclear Vanadium(III)/Carboxylate Complexes of Acetate and Related Derivatives in Aqueous Solution, Inorg. Chem. 2007, 46, 1575-1585.
- Riya Mukherjee, Edward G. Donnay, Michal A. Radomski, Catherine Miller, Duane A. Redfern, Arne Gericke, Derek S. Damron and Nicola E. Brasch; Vanadium–vitamin B12 bioconjugates as potential therapeutics for treating diabetes, Chem. Commun., 2008, 3783.
Undergraduate Students
David Walker
About me: I was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, but I have spent most of my life in Northeastern Ohio. I am currently pursuing a degree in Chemistry with a concentration in Biochemistry. I joined the Brasch Group in July of 2010. I became involved in this group because I wanted to know what it was like to participate in research, and I also wanted to learn more about the fascinating chemistry of vitamin B12.
Research Interests: I am currently focusing on the kinetics of vitamin B12 derivatives, such as glutathionylcobalamin, nitrosylcobalamin and nitrocobalamin, reacting with different species. More generally speaking, I am interested in Bioinorganic Chemistry and Organic Chemistry.
Other Interests: Playing hockey, soccer and golf; reading and camping.
Jeff Brown
About me: My name is Jeffrey Brown, and I joined Dr. Brasch’s research group in the summer of 2010 through the REU program. I am from Tallmadge, OH and currently entering my junior year at Kent State pursuing a B.S. in biochemistry.
Research and Academic Interests: I decided to pursue research because I wanted to gain more knowledge on modern research techniques (including instrumentation), and learn more about the chemistry of bioinorganic compounds. Currently I am conducting equilibrium studies on vitamin B12 derivatives. I have enjoyed the time spent this summer working under Dr. Brasch, and plan to continue working in the lab throughout my undergraduate studies.
Other interests: Fishing, Gardening, Traveling, Running, Grappling, Reading, and Music.
Noah Plymale
About me. I am a native Kent resident and am currently pursuing a B.S. degree in Chemistry at Kent State University. I am a member of Dr. Brasch’s undergraduate research group and am involved in research on vitamin B12 derivatives. I have enjoyed working in a Bioinorganic Lab and I plan on continuing my undergraduate research with Dr. Brasch.
Research and academic interests. I am currently very interested in Organic, Biological, and Bioinorganic Chemistry. My motivation for doing research is to develop an understanding for the chemistry of biological systems. I feel that Bioinorganic Chemistry is a fascinating and unique way to learn more about such biological systems.
Other Interests. In addition to Chemistry, I am very interested in Biology and Mathematics. Outside of school, I am a math tutor for the Academic Success Center and I play the trumpet in the athletic bands at Kent State. I also enjoy being with my friends, baking, and playing games of any sort.
What’s it like to work as an undergraduate student in the Brasch Group?
Past Group Member Brenda Dougan was kind enough to provide a statement about her undergraduate research experience in the Brasch Group.
I started working with Dr. Nicola Brasch at Kent State University in Ohio as part of a Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program founded by the National Science Foundation (NSF REU). During this time I helped develop the synthesis and characterization of vanadium(III)/acetate complexes in aqueous solution. After the end of this program I was keen to extend my research experience, and Dr Brasch found a way to fund my work as an undergraduate researcher for a whole year through the American Chemical Association’s Petroleum Research Fund (ACS PRF). I developed the synthesis and characterization of many vanadium(III)/carboxylate complexes in aqueous solution and presented the results of my work at a meeting of the American Chemical Association (ACS) in San Diego, CA.
I am currently studying towards my PhD in inorganic chemistry at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The research project in Dr Brasch’s group has given me a solid foundation in synthetic inorganic chemistry that has proven to be invaluable in my graduate school career. The decision to pursue a doctorate degree in inorganic chemistry was strongly influenced by my experience in Dr. Brasch’s group, and my realization of how diverse inorganic chemistry really is.
I enjoyed the great atmosphere and pleasant work environment in Dr Brasch’s Group. Her charisma, enthusiasm, and passion in hindsight make it appear like everyday in the lab was an excellent day, although I am sure there must have been some where things didn’t work out quite as well as expected! I was privileged to have such a fantastic undergraduate research experience, and would strongly encourage you to consider working in Dr Brasch’s group if you are aiming for a career in chemistry.