Alison B. Altman
Assistant Professor
she/her/hers
Postdoctoral Researcher, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Northwestern University Advisor: Danna Freedman
Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley 2017, Advisors: John Arnold and Stefan Minasian
B.S., Yale University 2012
Cassidy Belk
Graduate Student
Cassidy is originally from Louisville, Kentucky and received her B.S. in Chemistry with minors in Biochemistry and Art from Bellarmine University. She worked as an undergraduate under Dr. Anna Christianson synthesizing triaryl bismuth complexes and is pursuing research on the synthesis of lanthanide based metal-metal bonds. In her free time, Cassidy enjoys reading and baking.
Soumyalika Chowdhury
Graduate Student
Soumyalika is from Bardhaman, a small town in West Bengal, India. She completed her Bachelor's and Masters degree at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata and graduated with a Major in Chemical Sciences. She worked on main group organometallics during her Masters thesis project. She is currently working on synthesizing lanthanide/actinide based metal complexes and investigate their properties and electronics under high pressure. She enjoys singing and reading books during her free time.
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Declan Groesbeck
Graduate Student
Originally from the the deserts of Scottsdale Arizona. Declan received their bachelor of science in chemistry with a minor in physics and semiconductor from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. They studied the decomposition of PY40 also known as hexanitrocobaltate focusing on the final product with PXRD and computational DFT techniques. He also competed on the Track and field team in long and triple jump which went on to win the championship 6 times. Declan hobbies include biking and astrophotography.
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Dana Hicks
Graduate Student
Originally from Tacoma, Washington, Dana received a B.A. in chemistry with minors in Physics and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota. There, they completed an honors thesis on their work synthesizing and studying a family of paramagnetic, four-coordinate iron complexes supported by sterically confined poly(pyrazolyl)borate ligands. During their time as an undergraduate, they also participated in research with the Gilliard Group examining doubly boron-doped indenofluorene through the MIT Summer Research Program (MSRP). In their free time, they enjoy baking, weightlifting, and crafting (they are currently working on a bead curtain!)
Noah Hill
Graduate Student
Noah is originally from Cleveland, Ohio and received his Bachelor’s in Chemistry from The College of Wooster. During his time as an undergraduate researcher, he focused on the development of novel adsorbents for the remediation of PFAS from drinking water. Noah’s hobbies include reading, electronics, hanging out with friends, and going on hikes.
Briar Hilsabeck
Graduate Student
Briar grew up outside a very small town called Princeville in Illinois on a hobby chicken farm. He graduated from high school at Princeville and pursued his undergraduate and masters degree in chemistry from Western Illinois University. Outside of chemistry, he enjoy fishing, hunting, and building computers. He is also a fan of video games and sci-fi/fantasy movies.
Henry Jemison
Graduate Student
Originally raised in Conway, AR, Henry went to the University of Missouri in Columbia, MO where he graduated with a BS in Chemistry. During his time as an undergraduate student, he conducted research focused on actinide chemistry in the group of Dr. Justin Walensky. Out of the lab, he enjoys biking and finding new places.
Max Knight
Graduate Student
Originally from Peoria, Illinois, Max received his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. As an undergraduate researcher, he focused on intermetallic synthesis of novel compounds in the Fredrickson Group. In his free time, he likes to play baseball, basketball, run, go to the gym, or spend time with friends and family.
Paris Reuel
Graduate Student
Paris Reuel's current research interests are in the bonding nature of lanthanide and aluminum metal centers. Prior to joining the Altman lab, Reuel was a student intern at Sandia National Labs researching and developing novel lanthanide, aluminum, scandium, yttrium, precursors for processing into materials with application in obscurants, precipitation agents, and thermal and radiation resistance. Reuel received a B.S. in Chemistry and a B.S. in Statistics with honors from the University of New Mexico. In his free time Reuel likes to play tennis, games, and enjoys spending time on the trails hiking and camping.
Caleb Setzler
Graduate Student
Originally from Atlanta, GA, Caleb attended Furman University in Greenville, SC where he completed a BS in Chemistry. During his time at Furman, he studied the reactivity of silver nanoclusters with Dr. Jeff Petty. Caleb is currently investigating spectroscopic methods to elucidate magnetic properties of materials at high pressures. Outside of the lab, he spends his time cooking, competing in powerlifting, and playing tabletop games.
Yu-Huei Li
Visiting Scholar
Yu-Huei completed both his B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Chemistry at National Taiwan Normal University. His research focused on the synthesis and investigation of the physical and chemical properties of mixed transition-metal–main-group carbonyl cluster compounds under the supervision of his advisor, Minghuey Shieh. Yu-Huei’s hobbies include coffee, running, and weight training.
Nura Alhaddad
Undergraduate Student
Nura is a freshman undergraduate student from Prosper, TX, currently pursuing a B.S. in Chemistry. She is actively involved in various campus organizations, including Friends of MSF, the Voom Foundation, and the ACS Student Affiliates Chapter. In her free time, Nura enjoys painting, reading, and spending time with friends and family.
Austin McLeod
Undergraduate Student
Austin is an undergraduate from Plano, Texas at Texas A&M University pursuing a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Chemistry. At Texas A&M University, he intends on joining the American Chemical Society this academic year, and hopes to pursue graduate school following graduation. Outside of academics, Austin enjoys hanging out with friends, playing sports, and lifting weights.
Group alumni
Alejandro Rubio Reyes (2022): undergraduate student
Thomas Stowell (2022–2023): undergraduate student
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Tyler Vandergrifft (2023): undergraduate student
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Delaney Breidenthal (2024): undergraduate student
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Ryan O'Shea (2023–2025): undergraduate student
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Brooke Moskovitz (2024–2025): undergraduate student
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Megan Minassian (2025): undergraduate student
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John Schermerhorn (2025): undergraduate student
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Ethan Clare (2024): REU undergraduate student
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Andy Oliveira (2025): REU undergraduate student
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Tiffany Conrad (2022–2024): masters student
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Talha Wattoo (2023–2025): masters student
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Yogesh Shandilya (2024–2026): masters student
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Ebube Oyeka (2023–2024): postdoctoral researcher​​
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Paul Marshall (2024–2026): postdoctoral researcher
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