The Thoburn Group Members - Randolph-Macon College, Department of Chemistry

Meet the Group Members:

Check out the contributions of the many student researchers who have participated in the research program. This is also a good place to learn about student outcomes after graduation. For the latest news, go to the Randolph-Macon College Chemistry Alumni page.

Learn about Dr. Thoburn and see a list of publications and presentations here.

Would you like to join the group?

I'm always looking for independent, resourceful students interested in pursuing research projects in my lab.

Undergraduates interested in research opportunities will find project descriptions on the homepage.

Huy Trieu

Jack Tran

Caroline Guillebaud

Katherine Nguyen

Where are they now?

Former and current undergraduate researchers supervised by Dr. Thoburn.

Dr. Darin Friess, (Swarthmore, ’95) - M.D. Tulane University, Orthopedic Surgeon, Portland OR
Dr. Sandra Tobias (Santa Clara, ’96) - Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry, Purdue University; Research Assistant at Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, UC San Francisco; Senior Research Chemist at Merck
Katherine Nguyen (UC Berkeley) - UC San Francisco, Pharmacy School
Dr. Caroline Guillebaud (Santa Clara) - UCLA, Public Health Program; M.D., University of New Mexico Medical School; Family Practice Physician
Dr. Long Nguyen (Santa Clara) - M.D., Creighton University; Anesthesiology, SUNY, Stony Brook
Jack Tran (Santa Clara) - Adeza Pharmaceutical Co.; DDS UCSF Dental School
Dr. Huy Trieu (Santa Clara) - M.D. University of Minnesota, St. Paul; Surgeon Univ of Minnesota
Vivien Chou (Santa Clara) - University of Southern California, Pharmacy School
Dr. Joshua Roth (Pomona College) - Ph.D. Organic chemistry, UC Irvine; Senior Scientist, The Scripps Research Institute; Dow AgroSciences
Dr. Mia Berrettini (Sonoma State) - Ph.D., Physical Chemistry, UC Santa Barbara. DuPont, ilmington, DE; Founder/owner of Mendicino Minerals
Dr. Elias Dakwar (Santa Clara) - M.D. Creighton University Medical School; U Chicago, Psychiatry; Neurosurgeon at University of South Florida
Dr. Michael Bedard-Hearn (Santa Clara) - Ph.D. Chemistry, UCLA; post-doc: University of Texas at Austin; Science and Technology Policy Fellow, California Council on Science and Technology; as of 2010 - Legislative Director, California State Assembly
Denise Nakawatase (UC Davis) - Americorps, Teach for America, Baltimore, MD
Dr. Jack Sadowsky (Pomona College) - Fulbright Fellow at Universität Leipzig; Ph.D. U. Wisconsin, Madison; Post-doc at UC San Francisco; Carmot Therapeutics; Scientist at Genentech
Dr. Lauren Aubin Benz (U. of Rhode Is.) - Pharmaceutical Chemistry at Pfizer, Inc.; Ph.D. Chemistry at University of California, Santa Barbara; Post-doc: Harvard U.; Professor at the University of San Diego (USD) - Benz Lab
Dr. Tracy Wagner Covey (U. of Dallas) - Ph.D. Medicinal Chemistry at U. of Utah; faculty at University of St. Thomas, Houston, TX
Dr. Caroline Pharr (Carroll College ‘03) - Ph.D. Organic Chemistry, U. Wisconsin, Madison; Assistant Professor at Mercyhurst College, Erie, PA; as of 2011 Assistant Professor at Carroll College, MT
Dave Ptak (Teacher, Santa Cruz High) - UC Santa Cruz, Chemistry Graduate School
Dr. Andrew Higgins (R-MC ‘04) - DDS, Virginia Commonwealth University; US Navy (Hawaii)
Ryan T. Smith (R-MC ’05) - Business - computer
Daryl A. Guthrie (R-MC ’05) - Johns Hopkins University, Ph.D. candidate in Organic Chemistry
Ellen Sakell Baldassare (R-MC ’06) - M.S., Organic Chemistry, Bryn Mawr College; Investigator at DuPont, Wilmington, DE.
Dr. Dana N. Peles (R-MC ’06) - Duke University, Ph.D. Post-doc SmtihKlineGlaxo; Analytical Scientist at Stiefel, NC
Brian Imsick (R-MC ’08) - Ph.D. Organic Chemistry May 2013, Louisiana State University; Process Engineer at Intel Corporation, as of Aug 2013
Jessica Armstrong (R-MC ’10) - Head Scribe at Richmond Emergency Physicians, Inc. St. Mary's Hospital
Antoine Goujon (U. Strassbourg, ’12) - Ph.D. candidate at the Institut Charles Sadron, CNRS, Universite Strassbourg, France
Brad Plasha (R-MC ’12) - New Jersey Dental School
Hannah Dise (R-MC ’12) - Chemistry High School Teacher
Ian Stewart (R-MC ’12) - Duke University, Ph.D. program in Physical Chemistry
Fred Parks (R-MC ’14) - VFIC award, Summer 2012. 1st Place award at Chi Beta Phi (ΧΒΦ) National Science Honorary conference 2013; Spring 2013 Undergraduate research poster presentation ACS conference New Orleans; to present at Spring 2014 ACS conference New Orlean
Henry Castillo (R-MC '15) - VFIC award, summer 2013; SURF project; to present at Spring 2014 ACS conference New Orleans
Phuong Bui (R-MC ’15) - Summer 2013 SURF project; Fall 2012, awarded Klein Maloney Fellowship for 2 years; Spring 2013 Undergraduate research poster presentation ACS conference New Orleans; to present at Spring 2014 ACS conference New Orlean