Organic chemistry graduate students Sarah Anthony, Daniel Estabrook, Kersti Caddell Haatveit, and Stasik Popov have been named the 2019 Senior Foote Fellows.
The Christopher S. Foote Fellowship in Organic Chemistry recognizes organic students’ accomplishments in graduate studies and research as well as their performance on the qualifying examination for the Ph.D. degree. The recipients, who receive a stipend spread out between two academic years, are chosen by the UCLA organic faculty.
In 2005, on the occasion of UCLA organic professor Dr. Christopher S. Foote’s 70th birthday, his former coworkers and faculty at UCLA created the fellowship in his honor. Foote (pictured above) and his wife, Professor Judi Smith, donated the funds to fully fund the endowment. Sadly, Foote passed away soon after the fellowship was established. His 43-year academic career at UCLA established Foote as one of the world leaders in the field of physical organic chemistry.
The 2019 Senior Foote Fellows – Sarah Anthony, Daniel Estabrook, Kersti Caddell Haatveit, and Stasik Popov.
UCLA is fortunate to benefit from the continuing outstanding service and support of Smith, who is the founding dean of the UCLA Herb Albert School of Music. The Foote-Smith gift allows our department to support our most promising applicants to our graduate program as well as our most outstanding graduate students upon completion of their qualifying examination.
About the 2019 Foote Fellows
Sarah Anthony is a third-year organic chemistry graduate student working in Professor Neil Garg’s laboratory where her studies are focused on both the development of methodologies utilizing strained intermediates and the total synthesis of natural products. As a UCLA undergraduate chemistry student, Sarah performed research in Garg’s laboratory, and after receiving her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from UCLA in 2016, she chose to stay at UCLA for her graduate studies.
Daniel Estabrook is a third-year organic chemistry graduate student working in Professor Ellen Sletten’s laboratory where he is designing polymeric surfactants for multifunctional perfluorocarbon-in-water droplets. Dan received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 2016 from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where he worked under Professor S. Thayumanavan examining structure-property relationships of polymeric delivery vehicles. Additionally, he worked under Professor Marcus Weck at New York University, studying the programmed self-assembly of complex patchy colloids.
Kersti Caddell Haatveit is a third-year organic chemistry graduate student working in Professor Kendall N. Houk’s laboratory. Her graduate studies focus on using computational methods, including both quantum mechanical (QM) calculations and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, to elucidate the mechanisms of novel enzymes and understand the origins of regio- and stereoselectivity of cytochrome P450s to guide experimental enzyme engineering efforts for the development of novel C–H oxidation biocatalysts. Kersti received her bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 2016 from the University of California, Berkeley, where she worked in the laboratory of Professor Richmond Sarpong. Her research focused on optimizing and expanding the scope of a novel indole functionalization methodology.
Stanislav “Stasik” Popov is a third-year organic chemistry graduate student working in Professor Hosea Nelson’s laboratory. His graduate studies are focused on catalytic C–H functionalization reactions using dicoordinated carbocations. Stasik grew up in Wayland, Massachusetts. In 2012, he left his hometown to attend Brandeis University where he obtained his bachelor’s degree in chemistry and mathematics in 2016. During his undergraduate career, he conducted research under Professor Isaac J. Krauss studying boron carboxylates as catalysts for homoallylation and homocrotylation of aldehydes.
Article by Penny Jennings, UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, penny@chem.ucla.edu.
