Shinu Shaleela

Shinu Shaleela

Graduate Student

Shinu Shaleela is from India and completed an integrated bachelor’s and master’s program in 2024 at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, a prestigious national institute known for its focus on science education and research. During previous research under Professor Sangit Kumar, Shinu synthesized a novel chiral organotellurium catalyst featuring a chiral quinine backbone. This catalyst demonstrated the ability to enantioselectively transfer highly reactive arylselenol or arylthiol in dichloromethane onto Michael acceptor chalcones, resulting in the synthesis of chiral selenides or chiral sulfides with high yield. Currently, she is pursuing Ph.D. at the University of Houston. In September 2024, Shinu joined Dr. Harth’s lab with an interest in polymer chemistry and hopes to contribute to advancing the development of innovative polymer materials for various applications.