Former Group Members

Brent Amberger received his B.A. in chemistry from Amherst College in 2008.  At Amherst, Brent spent time working with Professor David Hansen synthesizing molecularly imprinted polymers.  Later, he did his undergraduate thesis research with Professors Helen Leung and Mark Marshall, using microwave spectroscopy in the structural determination of small gas phase Van der Waals complexes.  At Wisconsin, Brent worked with Professor McMahon in the collaborative rotational spectroscopy sub-group with Brian Esselman and Professor R. Claude Woods.  He used a glow-discharge, millimeter-wave spectrometer to observe rotational transitions for small organic molecules.  Once rotational spectra for these compounds are known, they can be searched for in space using radio telescopes.  Brent owns many things, including a canoe, a cat, and a clownfish.

Brent graduated with a PhD in 2015 and is currently a Senior Researcher at Allergy Amulet in Lowell, MA.

Brandon is a Senior at UW Madison pursuing a B.S. in chemistry and is currently working under the guidance of Andrew Owen on computational chemistry. In his time that strays from the academic in nature, Brandon loves fishing and routinely explores new bodies of water. He also enjoys cruising country backroads on his new motorcycle.

Brandon received his Bachelor’s degree in 2017.

Ben received a B.S in Chemistry and BCMB (Biochemical,Cell, and Molecular Biology) from Drake University in 2010.  While there he worked with Dr. Gholam Mirafzal on the green applications of ionic liquids for organic synthesis.  In the McMahon Group, Ben applied computational chemistry to wide range of topics and molecules, from tunneling in carbenes to excited state calculations.  Ben eats a small variety of food.

Ben received his PhD in 2016 and now instructs at UW – La Crosse.

Zach is a senior chemistry major. He joined after a short project with the group as a part of the 115/116 program. He is currently working on rotational spectroscopy of pyrimidine. When not sciencing, Zach enjoys spending his time playing hockey, fishing, and travelling.

Zach received his Bachelor’s degree in 2017.

Phoenix is a junior studying chemistry at UW-Madison with plans to get a PhD in Organic Chemistry after he graduates. He is currently studying the rotational spectrum of chloropyrazine and its isotopologues under the mentorship of Dr. Brian Esselman. When not doing research, Phoenix enjoys reading, playing board games with his girlfriend, and watching tv.

Grace is a senior at UW Madison studying Chemistry and Spanish.  She is currently assisting Sam Kougias in the synthesis of astrochemically relevant nitriles.  When not science-ing, Grace enjoys yoga, baking, and chemistry puns.

Grace received her Bachelor’s degree in 2018.

Danny is currently a senior pursuing a Chemistry major and is interested in sustainable energy and environmental chemistry. He is working with Sam Kougias synthesizing, isolating, and characterizing a series of novel compounds of astrochemical interest. Some of Danny’s favorite pastimes include photography, golfing, and watching the Chicago Cubs.

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0247-7075

Vanessa received a B.S. in Chemistry and a minor in Mathematics from California Lutheran University in 2014. While there she worked on the optimization of direct arylation, a type of palladium-catalyzed cross coupling, under the advisement of Dr. John F. Tannaci. Since joining the McMahon | Woods group, she has been working in the rotational spectroscopy sub-group. In collaboration with Kaori Kobayashi’s Group and John F. Stanton, she is working on the semi-equilibrium structure determination of thiophene. This project involves analysis of 20+ isotopologues and applying computational methods presented in the pyrimidine project to a sulfur-containing heterocycle. The vibrational states of thiophene below ~1100 cm^-1 have been analyzed as a separate project. Another on-going project centers on the analysis of the vibrational states of the anti-clinal conformer of 4-cyano-1,2-butadiene, which was synthesized by Sam K. with the help of undergraduate researchers and was recently published in JOC. This molecule involves the internal rotation of an asymmetric top with an asymmetric frame, and interesting coupling of the harmonics of the vibrational states that correspond to this rotation. When not working on chemistry, Vanessa enjoys singing, listening to music, walking by the Madison lakes, and traveling.

Recent Publication:

Orr, V. L.; Esselman, B. J.; Dorman, P. M.; Amberger, B. K.; Guzei, I. A.; Woods, R. C.; McMahon, R. J. Millimeter-wave Spectroscopy, X-ray Crystal Structure, and Quantum Chemical Studies of Diketene – Resolving Ambiguities Concerning the Structure of the Ketene Dimer. J. Phys. Chem. A. 2016, 120 (39), 7753-7763.  View Article

Cara graduated from UW Madison with a B.S. degree in chemistry. She is currently working on rotational spectroscopy of phenyl isocyanate. Aside from chemistry, she enjoys skiing, Rubik’s cubes, and spending time outside.

Cara received her Master’s degree in 2017.

Cara is now a member of the Stowe Research Group at UW-Madison.