Chuck Frazier was born into a humble household in the great state of Southern California. The son of an Irish governess and a Scottish weapons-maker/schoolteacher, Chuck spent a great deal of his youth wondering why all the full grown men around him were wearing plaid skirts. After years of deliberation over that very conundrum, Chuck decided that kilts were both fashionable, and comfortable and maybe all those strangely hairy men had it right all along. After reaching adulthood, Chuck picked up and moved to Berkeley, where he quickly discovered that there were few people who appreciated his all night bagpipe sessions. He grew melancholy, re-evaluated his life, ditched the plaid skirt and bagpipes altogether and decided instead to get a degree in Chemistry. Chuck enjoys curling, scotch twice his age, unintelligible accents, and a wee pint of Guinness before bed. Chuck’s heroes are William Wallace, Montel Williams, Blue and his Clues, and the letter Q.

cfrazier at chem.ucsb.edu

Postdoctoral Associates

Leoni Palmer | le•o•ni pä(l)m•er |

noun

1 The dominant animal in a pack of wolves, or similar chemistry group/pack or troop, that other members/chemists submit to and follow

2 A cybernetic organism sent back in time to kill John Connor/Sam Palmer

Known in England as the T1000, Dr Leoni Palmer (formerly Pennington) was born in Persia circa 1983. At 4 years of age Leoni was directing proceedings at her family home. By age 12 she was a national skating champion and at 16 told her first joke.

Although talented/unchallengeable in all subjects, courses, matters, topics, games and thoughts, Leoni chose to read chemistry at The University of Durham. After completing her year in industry at Pfizer, Kent, she graduated with a Masters in 2006, winning multiple awards. Moving closer to her family and friends, Leoni chose to study at Nottingham University under Professor Christopher J. Moody to obtain her PhD; The synthesis of the naphthoquinone macrolide, hygrocin A.

In October 2009 Leoni married her long-term fiance, Samuel Palmer Esquire, in Leicestershire, England. Despite this minor setback Leoni continued on her path to glory moving to Santa Barbara, CA to work for Javier Read de Alaniz.

Leoni loves the art of cooking, films starring Bruce Willis or Arnold Schwarzenegger, endurance sports, and dictatorships. She one day plans to win the Tour de France. And probably will.

lpennington at chem.ucsb.edu

Growing up on the sweltering streets of Riverside California, David soon realized that he may as well walk around barefoot everyday, because he was sick and tired of his shoes melting off on the pavement. In order to fully embrace this novel concept, he decided he should relocate to the Surf Capital of Southern California, Orange County. It was there that he managed to fall in love with surfing, Brazilian jiujitsu,  and of course, chemistry. It was while attending school at California State University Fullerton that David discovered the fascinating world of research in organic chemistry. In fact, he grew so fond of this experience that he decided to further his education and attempt a graduate program. However, he realized that a potential career in chemistry might hinder his original plan of living a barefoot life. A most fortuitous solution came to him when he was accepted to the grad program at UCSB, which not only provided him with the opportunity to work with some of the most amazingly bright individuals he has ever met, but also placed him in close proximity to the beach, and an opportunity to rub his toes in the sand when ever he should so please. David is the definition of a "happy camper".

dsandoval at chem.ucsb.edu

Forged in the blistering heat of the Saharan Desert, Sameh ‘The Juggernaut’ Helmy is as inexplicable as the chemistry he works on.  Fully fluent in Arabic, English and Sarcasm, Sam graduated from Oak Ridge High School, in the Tahoe foothills, and then went off to UC Berkeley where he promptly discovered the joys of dropping out of college.  Eight years of a ‘rewarding’ career in the hospitality industry later, he decided to try that school thing again. After earning his lab chops at California State University, Channel Islands under the tutelage of Dr. Phil Hampton, Sam deftly avoided the job market by applying to grad school.  Having had the good fortune to explore the world, Sam chose the perfect place to spend the next ??? years of his life hanging out and learning, UCSB. He came to work with Dr. Read de Alaniz studying patience and perseverance with a little organic synthesis here and there.

shelmy at chem.ucsb.edu

This is a story all about how Robert’s life got turned, flipped upside down and I’d like to take a minute, just sit right there and I’ll tell you all about how he became a grad student in the lab of Javier. Southern California not born but raised, in the classroom is where he spent most of his days. Studying, relaxing, actin’ all cool, and doing some light gaming outside of school. After a couple of years, they were all pretty good, he decided it was time to try something new… Despite his failures as a rapper and R&B sensation, he decided that he’d give this whole life thing another college try. And so he decided to try college. While at UCSD he picked up cycling and learned to love the comfortable embrace of spandex. After deftly making his way through his undergraduate education, he decided to ignore the advice of his peers and apply to graduate school. Being of Southern California, his frail, fragile frame could not survive in the harsher climates of the rest of the country. Luckily for him, UCSB was in a wonderful location.  After graciously accepting UCSB’s offer, he soon found a home in Javier Read de Alaniz’s group among some of the more brilliant chemists he had met. Robert enjoys medium length walks on the beach, the soft glow of the silver screen, beverages made from malted grains, crafting culinary delights, Carl Sagan, and spending time with friends.

rblewis at chem.ucsb.edu

Past Group Members

Yingdong graduated from Wuhan University in China with BS and MS degrees in chemistry. His research is about transition metal catalyzed coupling reactions and organoboron chemistry. In 2010 summer, he joined Liming Zhang's group at UCSB for homogeneous gold catalysis. In 2012 summer, he started working on BCP nanolithography co-advised by Craig Hawker, Javier Read and Liming Zhang.

yluo at chem.ucsb.edu

Born behind the iron curtain in the People’s State of Massachusetts, Jimmy Hemmer longed for a better life. He didn’t have to wait long, for at age 12 he fled west with his family to the great Republic of Texas. He readily assimilated into the native culture and enjoyed his newfound freedoms. When it came time for college, he decided to stay close to home and attend Texas A&M University. There he studied chemistry, guns, pick-trucks, and American patriotism. He took a special interest in organic chemistry, and began doing undergraduate research in the field. He even spent two summers working in super-secret naval facility working on weapons projects for the US government. Through the divine guidance of Samuel Houston, he graduated in 2012 with a Bachelors of Science degree in chemistry. His passion for organic chemistry had led him to apply to graduate schools across the nation. Enticed by the mild weather and beautiful beaches, Jimmy chose UC Santa Barbara. There he joined the Read de Alaniz group and he now studies organic materials chemistry.

jhemmer at chem.ucsb.edu

If you can pronounce Saemi's name perfectly, you're probably Korean. She discovered that the hard way when she left her home country in 2003 to study at an international school in Thailand, and again in 2005 when she arrived in the land of opportunities for college. Curious, daring and adventurous were the perfect descriptions of Saemi. In the middle of her college years, she went on her journey to the Philippines, Vietnam and Korea for about 3 years, working as a purchasing manager, a personal assistant, a tutor, an English teacher and a freelance translator but at the same time enjoying everything the exotic Asia has to offer. Cash in hand back to the states, Saemi received her degree in chemistry at Cal State Northridge in 2012. The undergraduate research experience she had in Dr. Thomas Minehan's organic synthesis lab coupled with the beauty of chemistry was so fascinating that she decided to have a privilege as a student again at UCSB. Her ideal day in Santa Barbara on a Sunday is to have brunch at the Boat house on the beach, buy fresh veggies and fruits at the Farmer's market, go hiking to enjoy the beautiful scenery in the early afternoon, get a piece of strawberry shortcake from Lazy Acre's, cook delicious and hearty dinner that pairs well with the local wine and enjoying the warm and sunny weather even in January.

soh at chem.ucsb.edu

California- born and raised, David is slowly but surely making his way down the CA coast.  Born in the Bay Area, David grew up surrounded by the SF Giants, 49ers, and all the wonders of the Silicon Valley.  After high school, David decided on a change of scenery and travelled down to Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo where he quickly discovered organic chemistry was far superior to biochemistry. While there, he worked in the lab of Dr. Palandoken to hone his laboratory skills. Once he left the bay, the Giants decided to finally become successful professional sports team and win the World Series just to spite him.  Upon graduation, David decided to head back home to the Bay Area where he worked as an intern in the medicinal chemistry department at Gilead Sciences. David again continued his quest down the coast of California when he was accepted into the PhD program at UCSB.  While many of his Cal Poly friends have labeled him as a traitor for attending their rival school, David is confident he made the right decision in moving to Santa Barbara and joining the lab of Javier Read de Alaniz.

dfisher at chem.ucsb.edu

Visiting Scholars