December 2023: Ananya Saju

Ananya Saju, 3rd year PhD student in Dr. Lacy's lab.

Publications

• Saju, A.; Griffiths, J. R.; MacMillan, S. N.; Lacy, D. C. Synthesis of a Bench-Stable Manganese(III) Chloride Compound: Coordination Chemistry and Alkene Dichlorination. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 16761–16766.

Featured in: UB news, futurity, and ChemistryViews.

• Saju, A.; Gunasekera, P. S.; Morgante, P.; MacMillan, S. N.; Autschbach, J.; Lacy, D. C. Experimental and Computational Determination of a M–Cl Homolytic Bond Dissociation Free Energy: Mn(III)Cl-Mediated C–H Cleavage and Chlorination. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 13384–13391.

Oral presentations

• 40^th Annual Chemistry Graduate Students Symposium, University at Buffalo, NY, USA, May 2023.
• Western New York Inorganic Symposium, University of Rochester, NY, USA, August 2023.

My research focuses on synthesis of bench stable manganese(III) precursor complexes for exploring the chemistry of high valent manganese. I investigate the coordination chemistry and reactivity of these complexes in an effort to demonstrate their utility.

I love the research I do and am grateful to have found an incredibly supportive and passionate mentor and peers, which makes graduate school a very fulfilling experience for me.

I am an amateur artist, I love creating oil paintings as well as digital art. I also enjoy travelling and exploring new places.