Principal Investigator
Megan N. Jackson
Assistant Professor
megan.jackson [at] unc.edu
Megan began her scientific career as an undergraduate at Caltech. There, she conducted research in the laboratory of Prof. Harry Gray, where she was introduced to molecular synthesis, spectroscopy, and inorganic chemistry. This introduction to coordination chemistry and organometallics served as the lens through which she approached heterogeneous electrocatalysis as a National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellow in the Surendranath lab at MIT. After receiving her Ph.D. in 2019, she joined the Long lab at UC Berkeley, supported by an Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellowship and a University of California President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program Award. Her postdoctoral research focused on bringing molecular-level understanding to the factors governing the materials properties of metal-organic framework crystals. She joined the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2022. Her favorite transition metal is Pt.
Graduate Students
Jaeyoung Lee
2nd Year
Jaeyoung is from Seoul, South Korea. She finished her undergraduate studies there at Ewha Womans University with degrees in chemistry and digital humanities. Then she pursued a master’s degree in analytical chemistry at the same institution, focusing on the development of electrochemical sensors for in vivo experiments. Outside of the lab, she is interested in photography, playing instruments, and cycling.
jaeylee [at] unc.edu
Devon Leimkuhl
2nd Year
Devon was born and raised in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She attended Colorado State University where she graduated in 2022 with a B.S. in chemistry and a minor in global environmental sustainability. There she worked with Prof. Amy Prieto researching colloidal nanoparticle syntheses. Devon’s hobbies include hiking, paddleboarding, and arts and crafts.
leimkuhl [at] unc.edu
Kenneth Chua
2nd Year
Kenneth is from San Gabriel, California. He attended the University of California, Irvine, with a double major in Chemistry and Earth System Science. He worked with Prof. Maxx Arguilla to synthesize 1D vdW materials. In his free time, he likes to go to concerts, play basketball and video games, and to loaf around at home.
kchua [at] unc.edu
Alessandra Mandala
1st Year
Alessandra was born in France and lived in Ghana and Italy before moving to the United States and calling Virginia home. She obtained a degree in chemistry from McDaniel College in 2023, working with Dr. Dana Ferraris on multi-step synthesis to inhibit the enzymatic ADP-ribosylhydrolase activity in macrodomains. She also worked in Dr. Kenneth Karlin’s laboratory at Johns Hopkins University, synthesizing tripodal tetradentate ligands for copper complexing. Alessandra likes reading, hiking, and watching period dramas in her free time.
amandala [at] unc.edu
Emily Blevins
1st Year
Emily is from Huntsville, Alabama. She attended the University of Alabama with a major in chemistry and a minor in math. She worked with Prof. Elizabeth Papish doing anticancer research with ruthenium complexes. In her free time she likes to crochet, play animal crossing, and spend time with her cat Peaches.
emiblevi [at] unc.edu
Jonathan Nguyen
1st Year
Jonathan was born and raised in Hanoi, Vietnam and lived in Victoria, Canada before beginning his undergraduate studies at UNC. He is a second-year student majoring in Environmental Science on the Quantitative Energy Systems Track. He is interested in researching the just energy transition in developing countries through the lens of environmental policies and the science behind renewable energy technologies, which he hopes to further explore in the Jackson Lab. He enjoys reading, café hopping, and doing outdoor activities.
kjnguyen [at] unc.edu
Undergraduate Researchers
Natalie Druffner
2nd Year
Natalie is from Dallas, TX. She is pursuing a B.S. in Chemistry and a B.A. in Music and joined the Jackson lab in 2024. Outside of the lab, you can find Natalie practicing her viola, taking care of her houseplants, or going on long walks around Chapel Hill.
natdruff [at] unc.edu
Former Undergraduate Researchers
Miguel Reyna, B.S. Chemistry, '24
Group Photo: 2023