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NC State PhD Program

November 11th, 2024

Jamie Breunig

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About Me

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Longwood University 2016 - 2020

Moved to Raleigh, NC

July 2020

Joined the Pierce Group

Graduation in Spring 2025

Goal: Work in Industry

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About NC State University

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NC State is located in Raleigh, NC and is located in the Research Triangle, a hot spot for high-tech enterprise (home to more than 300 companies that employ 55,000 workers and an additional 10,000 contractors)

  • NC State has 37,800 students and 2,300+ faculty
  • $400 million in Sponsored Research Awards
  • $1.69 billion in budget

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NC State University

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Integrative Science Building

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https://provost.ncsu.edu/university-interdisciplinary-programs/isb/

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Department of Chemistry

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  • 188 graduate students (93 male, 95 female)
  • 28 active research faculty
  • Campus footprint: Dabney Hall,Cox Hall, Partners III, and ISB

​

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Research Areas:

  • Analytical
  • Chemistry Education
  • Inorganic Chemistry
  • Organic Chemistry
  • Physical Chemistry

​

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Doctoral Program Overview for 2025

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Graduate Student Support Plan (GSSP)

                  • Five years of guaranteed funding (either as RA of TA)
          • Stipend: $28,500/yr + health insurance

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Orientation

          • August 2025 (all students receive a laptop for research)

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Course Work

          • 6 graded classes within the first 2 years, plus seminar, and professional development class (610G)

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Advisor Selection – October 15th

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Other Requirements

          • 2nd year talk
          • Departmental poster presentation
          • Prelimenary Exam
          • Conference presenataion
          • Dissertation writing and PhD defense

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Typical Progress

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Application Process

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Requirements: Unofficial transcripts, CV, Statement of Purpose, 3 Letters of Recommendation, NO GRE

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Research in the Pierce Group

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Research in the Pierce Group

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Project Highlights

Total Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Leopolic Acid A and Analogs

Asymmetric approach to Bipolamine I

Enantioselctive Formal Synthesis of Thienamycin

TRAP-dexamethasone Collaboration

Efforts Towards the Total

Synthesis of Dentigerumycin

  • Contributed to starting material of a complex natural product
  • Collaborated with molecular pharmacoengineering group on a bioactive molecule tested in vivo
  • Used an asymmetric reduction and a series of diastereoselective reactions to access the percussor
  • Improved antibacterial and antibiofilm properties
  • Mentored an undergraduate student
  • Optimizing starting material syntheses

​

  • Developing coupling reaction conditions

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Project Highlights

Total Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Leopolic Acid A and Analogs

Asymmetric approach to Bipolamine I

Enantioselctive Formal Synthesis of Thienamycin

TRAP-dexamethasone Collaboration

Efforts Towards the Total

Synthesis of Dentigerumycin

  • Contributed to starting material of a complex natural product
  • Collaborated with molecular pharmacoengineering group on a bioactive molecule tested in vivo
  • Used an asymmetric reduction and a series of diastereoselective reactions to access the percussor
  • Improved antibacterial and antibiofilm properties
  • Mentored an undergraduate student
  • Optimizing starting material syntheses

​

  • Developing coupling reaction conditions

​

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Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 1624–1628.; J. Nat. Prod. 2014, 77, 270−275.; J. Nat. 2007, 70, 1454–1457.; Angew. Chem., 2014, 53, 5401–5404.

Natural Products in the Pierce Group

Marine actinomycete

Guam Islands

lipoxazolidinone A

synoxazolidinone B

4-oxazolidinones

4-oxazolidinones

ascidian

Synoicum pulmonaira

Northern Norway

leopolic acid A

2,3-pyrrolidinones

Terrestrial-derived Streptomyces sp.

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Versatile Multicomponent Strategy

Org. Lett. 2017, 19, 2961–2964.; Angewandte Chemie Int. Ed. 2014, 53 (21), 5401–5404.

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Total Synthesis of Leopolic Acid A

ACS Bio. Med. Chem. Au. 2024, 4, 95−99.

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SAR Study

ACS Bio. Med. Chem. Au. 2024, 4, 95−99.

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Compound

V

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

MIC (MSSA 25923)

1

32

16

16

>128

128

>128

>128

>256

>256

>256

>256

MIC (MSSA 29213)

1

32

32

32

>128

>128

>128

>128

>256

>256

>256

>256

MIC (MRSA 33591)

1

32

16

16

>128

16

>128

>128

>256

>256

>256

>256

MBEC (S. aureus 25923)

2048

16

64

64

8

64

32

64

>256

>256

>256

>256

MBEC (S. aureus 29213)

2048

16

-

-

8

-

32

-

-

-

-

>128

MBEC (S. aureus 33591)

2048

16

-

-

8

-

8

-

-

-

-

>128

(MBEC/MIC) ratio

2048

0.5

4

4

<0.06

<0.5

<0.25

<0.5

NA

NA

NA

NA

V= vancomycin; units = μg/mL

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Thank you!

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The Pierce Group:

Prof. Joshua Pierce 

Dr. Audrey Fikes

Dr. Rory Devlin

Dr. Ebbin Joseph 

Dr. Alejandro Valdes 

Allie Guerra

Sanjay Kalliat 

Andrew Ratchford

Andrew Hesterhagen

Toan Ho

Sarah Altman

Coleman Walker

Marlon Freiha

Chimdi Kalu

Bao Nguyen

Mabel Barreiro Carpio

Meghan Johnson

Tony Kelly

Erin Monteith

Zian Wang���

https://chemistry.sciences.edu/

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If you have any questions about applying, please contact:

Prof. Reza Ghiladi (Director of Graduate Programs) Reza_Ghiladi@ncsu.edu