Blane Zavesky

Year Entered
2014

Hometown
New Buffalo, MI, United States

Undergraduate Degree
University of Michigan, Chemistry, 2014

Research Group
Jeff Johnson

Current Research Focus
My graduate research has been dedicated to the synthesis of biologically active natural products, focusing mainly on the Veratrum alkaloids jervine and cyclopamine.

Short Bio
I began my study of organic chemistry in the Wolfe group at the University of Michigan in 2010, where my research was centered on the synthesis of cyclic guanidines via palladium-catalyzed carboamination reactions. During my time at the University of Michigan, I also worked as a medicinal chemistry intern at Amgen in San Francisco. Directly after graduation, I started at UNC working on natural product synthesis in the Johnson group.

Why did you choose UNC Chemistry?
I chose UNC because of how well I got along with both the students and professors during visitation. Everyone was very down to Earth and seemed like they enjoyed working with each other. I was also extremely interested in the research that was happening. I could have happily ended up in at least 3 research groups due to the strength of faculty.

What are your future plans?
After graduation, I am planning on working in industry.