Meet Our Lab
Research Scientists
Shambhavi Tannir, PhD
- stannir4@bu.edu
Dr. Shambhavi Tannir grew up in India where she got her BS in chemistry, zoology, and biotechnology and an MS in chemistry. She went on to get her Ph.D. at the University of Wyoming in 2019 where her research focussed on chiral nano-materials, such as quantum dots, and chiral supramolecular assemblies. She followed this up with a postdoctoral appointment under Prof. Edward Clennan where she synthesized and computationally studied chiral organic LED materials. She is currently a postdoctoral associate in the Jeffries-EL group. Her work is focused on the design of pi-conjugated materials and their devices. In her free time, Shama enjoys traveling, concerts, cooking, learning languages and getting together with friends.
Postdoctoral Associates
Graduate Students
Annie Beckett
- becketta@bu.edu
Annie grew up in New Haven, CT, and started her B.S. in chemistry at CUNY Brooklyn College before ultimately finishing at Southern CT State University. Her undergraduate research was in synthetic organic chemistry. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in organic chemistry at Boston University with a research emphasis on pi-conjugated materials. In her free time, Annie enjoys biking, hanging out with friends, or reading a good book.
Chris Cunningham
- ccunnin1@bu.edu
Chris grew up in Fort Walton Beach, FL, and graduated from the University of West Florida with B.S in chemistry and biochemistry. During his undergraduate studies, he conducted research in the area of electrophilic cyclization for pharmaceutical applications. Chris currently pursuing his doctoral degree in organic chemistry at Boston University with a research emphasis on pi-conjugated materials. In his free time, you can find Chris eating Chinese food, hanging out with friends, and laughing anywhere he goes.
De’Zhanae McCall-Butler
- dmm76@bu.edu
De’Zhanae was born in Philadelphia, PA and moved to Pensacola, FL in the 5th grade. She conducted her undergraduate studies at the University of West Florida and received her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry in 2019 while researching in the area of non-toxic quantum dots for biological applications. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry at Boston University with a research emphasis in the development of novel pi-conjugated materials for organic photovoltaic applications. In her free time, Dez enjoys exploring Boston, finding good places to eat, and getting used to the big city lifestyle.
Aidan Murphy
- almurph@bu.edu
Aidan grew up outside of Portland, ME and graduated from the University of Richmond in 2019 with a B.S. in biochemistry and molecular biology. As an undergrad, he conducted research in the area of mechanistic agricultural pathogenesis. Aidan is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in organic chemistry at Boston University with an emphasis on synthesizing novel organic semiconductors for photovoltaic application. In his free time, you can find him back up north hitting the slopes, catching a Red Sox game, or hanging out at a brewery with friends.
Masters Students
Jada Bonds
- jadab@bu.edu
Undergraduate Students
Samantha Lehman
Samantha grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah and is currently studying Chemistry and Political Science at BU. She has previously researched structure-property relationships in graphite intercalated compounds using machine learning.