Group members
Welcome new students to join the team!
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Principal Investigator
Haoran Sun, Professor of Chemistry
Dr. Sun graduated from the Department of Chemistry at Jilin University and gained broader knowledge and skill sets in chemistry throughout his graduate school and postdoctoral trainings. His particular research interests are coordination chemistry, electrochemistry, organic chemistry, and fluorine chemistry. Since Joining the University of South Dakota (USD), he has received continued funding supports to support postdocs, graduate, and undergraduate students in his group.
In additional to individual grants, in 2017, Dr. Sun led a large collaborative effort to establish the Center for Fluorinated Functional Materials (CFFM) by securing a highly competitive R&D grant from the South Dakota Governor's Office of Economic Development (SD GOED). Currently, he is USD's institutional lead for the recently funded NSF ERC Environmental Applied Refrigerant Technology Hub (EARTH), a national wide collaborative effort led by the University of Kansas and involving five core partner institutions: the University of Notre Dame, the University of Maryland, the University of Hawaii, the University of South Dakota, and Lehigh University.
He was an NSF CAREER grant awardee and a recipient of the Research Excellence Awards at USD in 2014 and 2025. He currently holds five granted U.S. patents and has published 88 peer-reviewed articles. He works on fluorinated functional materials, aiming to solve problems related to energy and medicinal applications. With the support from the new NSF ERC EARTH, his new effort is focused on circular fluorine chemistry.
Dr. Sun teaches Organic Chemistry, Spectroscopic Analysis, Fluorine Chemistry, and Electrochemistry at both undergraduate and graduate levels. In addition to his teaching and research activities, he actively involves in education outreach activities including judging South Dakota state Science Olympiad competition and instruct high school students in summer research to promote STEM education. He also serves as a member of the Editorial Board for the Journal of Fluorine Chemistry.
Current group members
Postdoctoral Research Associates
Shankar Gairhe, PhD, received his BS degree in chemistry from Nepal, and his PhD degree in Materials Chemistry from the University of South Dakota 2023. Dr. Gairhe is now a postodctoral associate in Dr. Sun's group. He is working on preparation of new fluorinated aromatics for semiconductor applications, developing new methods to generate fluorinating reagents, and utilizing hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) for new fluorination chemistries and fluorinated functional materials.
Email: shankar dot gairhe at usd dot edu
Graduate Students
Blessing Ishola, PhD student. Blessing joined Dr. Sun's group in the spring of 2021 to pursue her graduate degree in chemistry. Her project involves preparation of polyfluorinated materials for semiconductor and energy applications.
Email: blessing dot ishola at coyotes dot usd dot edu
Since joining Dr. Sun’s research group in the fall of 2022, Amit Sharma focuses on the design and synthesis of novel fluorinating reagent. Mr. Sharma approach aims to create new reagent that is not only safer and more efficient but also highly selective and versatile. His work is crucial in enhancing the fundamental components of chemical reaction promising to bring about significant advancement in fluorine world.
Email: amit dot sharma at coyotes dot usd dot edu
Maud joined Dr. Sun's group fall 2023 as a graduate student to pursue her PhD degree. Her current research work involves new fluorination methods development.
Email: maud dot nartey at coyotes dot usd dot edu
Tiah joined Dr. Sun's group Spring 2024 to pursue his PhD degree in synthetic chemistry. His current research focuses on non-traditional fluorine chemistry.
Email: mahamadu dot mahama at coyotes dot usd dot edu
Undergraduate Students
Jessicael Raherisoanjato, joined group in summer 2025, works on electrochemical polymerization of fluoroorganics.
Steven Harmon, joined group in summer 2025, works on electrochemical reaction involving following chemical reactions.
Alumni
Former postdoctoral research associates
Dr. Siyu Mao, Graduated from Jilin University with B.E. in electrical engineering. She joined Dr. Sun's group as a MS student in Fall 2014 to study organic semiconductor devices and interfacial electron transfer problems. She continued her PhD study at USD in 2017 and defended her PhD degree in early Spring 2021. Lately her project involves fluorination reagent and method development.
Now Siyu is working on developing next generation li-battery at the QuantumScape for EVs.
Dr. Shanpeng Wen, Current position and address: Professor, College of Electrical Engineering, Jilin University, China
Dr. Zhongyi Yuan, Current position and address: Professor (Xiaopin Professorship) at the Nanchang University, China
Dr. Zhihua Wang, Current position and address: Associate Professor, Henan University, China
Dr. Yizhi Li, Former Postdoctoral Research Associate. Graduated from Dong Hua University.
Former graduate students
Dr. Osamakon Osemwenkhae, (we call him Bernard), after receiving his MS degree in computational chemistry he joined Dr. Sun's group to pursue a project in synthetic fluorine chemistry related to medicinal applications for his PhD dissertation in which his work involved both experimental and computational approaches.
After graduation in 2024, Bernard joins the Abbott to work on chemistry projects related to medical devices.
Jordan Kramer, PhD student, Joined Dr. Sun's group Fall 2015 after graduated with BS in chemistry from University of South Dakota. Jordan is working on perfluoroalkylated supramolecular synthon for high-performance organic semiconductor materials and new high capacity battery materials. He is also interested in new fluorination methodology development and anion-pi interactions.
After receiving his PhD in chemistry Spring 2022, Jordan is now working on developing new pharmaceuticals at the Raybow PharamScience in North Carolina.
Dr. Usha Tottempudi, current: postdoc associate, Department of Chemistry, University of Rhode Island.
Dr. Anji Putta, Now he is an NMR specialist at the Chemistry Department at USD. Anji did his Postdoctoral work at the Department of Chemistry at Qatar University after graduation from USD in December 2014. After working at the USD chemistry as an NMR specialist, he joined Boise State University as the NMR Facility Director at its Chemistry Department.
Dr. Mohammad (Mo) BaniKhaled, graduated with his PhD degree from USD in December 2015 after working in Dr. Sun's group. Now a research chemist.
Justin Kloster (MS), current: Doctoral student, School of Pharmacy, University of Denver, CO.
Dr. Jeffery Mottishaw, Graduated December 2014, he is now a faculty member at the Grand View University in Des Moines.
Dr. Qiang Wei, he teaches chemistry in Xian, China.
John Becker, Graduated with MS in Chemistry 2016. Now John works in Sioux Falls, SD for the State of South Dakota.
Tania Akter, Graduated with MS degree and went to University of Nevada Reno to continue her PhD study.
Former undergraduate students
Brady Samuelson, a senior undergraduate chemistry major at USD, Brady joined Dr. Sun's group since his freshman year to working on new energy storage materials synthesis and characterization. He worked on his honor thesis with Dr. Sun on electrochemistry of polynitroaroamtics and the corresponding polymeric materials. Right after his graduation Spring 2022, Brady joined Continuus Materials in Des Moines, Iowa to work on composite materials.
Belle Ross, a senior undergraduate at USD, Belle joined Dr. Sun's group summer 2020. Her project involves searching new fluorinated drug molecules through AutoDock, a computational tool kit for drug development. She graduated Spring 2022 and to further pursue her professional study in medicinal field.
Andrew Jochum, senior chemistry major at USD, he joined Dr. Sun's research group summer 2022. Andrew continue his research work during the academic year, working on multi-step synthesis of new fluorinated organic semiconductor materials.
Sebastian Chisari, our REU student from Illinois in summer 2022. He worked on intermolecular energy calculations for perfluoroalkylated molecules which are potential organic semiconductor materials.
Mason Ferrie, chemistry major at USD, in summer 2022, he joined Dr. Sun's research group right after finishing his freshmen year at USD. Mason worked on electrochemical property measurements of fluorinated organic compounds.
Sebastian Chisari, our REU student from Illinois in summer 2022. He worked on intermolecular energy calculations for perfluoroalkylated molecules which are potential organic semiconductor materials.
Joshua Arens, 2016 Truman Scholar, 2018 Rhodes Scholar, worked in Dr. Sun's group since Spring 2015. Receiving his BS in chemistry from USD in 2016. After attending the University of Oxford study an MPhil in Environmental Change & Management, he Joined the Stanford University Chemistry Department to pursue his PhD degree in chemistry in fall 2021.
Brock Goeden, USD undergraduate student majoring in chemistry. Joined Dr. Sun's group summer 2018 and continued his research work during the academic years. Brock was interested in searching new materials for energy storage during his undergraduate research work in Dr. Sun's group. Fall 2021, he joined the Medical School at USD to become a doctor in the future.
Mike Billion, now at Sanford Hospital Laboratory, Sioux Falls.
Kristen Kramlich, now at the Optometry School of the University of Missouri.
Tim Athyl, Undergraduate researcher, industrial job at Minnesota.
Matt Kibler, REU student from University of Notre Dame (Summer, 2013).
Gisele Andree, Undergraduate researcher from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Gisele worked in the group summer 2016.
James May, Undergraduate researcher from the University of Montana. James worked tin he group summer 2016.
Erika Moen, Summer research intern from the Vermillion High School. Erika started her intern work since summer 2015 when she was a raising high school senior. She is currently a freshmen major in chemistry at the University of Oklahoma.
Elizabeth Butler, Summer research intern from the Vermillion High School. Liz started her intern work since summer 2015 when she was a raising high school senior. She is majoring in biochemistry at the University of Minnesota since last fall.
Lorenzo J. Smith, Undergraduate student from University of Wisconsin Steven Point, he joined us as a summer REU student 2018.
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