Members
Members
Laura Alonso, Ph.D.
Assistant Director, High Throughput Experimentation Facility
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Donald A. Watson Lab
Laura Alonso earned her Ph.D. in organic chemistry from University of Illinois Chicago in 2023. She studied the mechanism of 4π-electrocyclizations of N-vinyl nitrones and later developed an asymmetric approach under the direction of Prof. Laura L. Anderson. She is currently pursuing postdoctoral research on mechanisms of 6-exo aza Heck
reactions and asymmetric methods towards N-methyl δ-lactams in Prof. Donald A. Watson’s lab at the University of Delaware. Laura started as associate director of the High Throughput Experimentation Facility at the University of Delaware in September 2025.
Jessica Sampson, Ph.D.
Director, High Throughput Experimentation Facility
Lead Scientist, Delaware Center for Multiscale Biomolecular Sensing
Jessica Sampson earned their Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from Caltech in 2019. There, they worked with Theo Agapie on olefin polymerization catalysis and ligand design. She subsequently pursued postdoctoral research on C-H activation methodology and base-metal cross-coupling with Brad Carrow. Jessica started as the manager of the High Throughput Experimentation Facility at the University of Delaware in 2021.
Don Watson, Ph.D.
Donald A. Watson received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Irvine in 2004. He studied stereochemical problems in palladium-catalyzed transformations under Larry E. Overman. From 2004-2006, Donald then moved on to study zirconium-based catalysts for asymmetric intramolecular hydroaminations under Robert G. Bergman at the University of California at Berkeley. Donald then moved onto a postdoc position with Stephen Buchwald studying metal catalyzed processes for C-F bond formation. Donald then took a position at University of Delaware in 2009 and has since conducted independant research.
Mary P. Watson, Ph.D.
Mary Watson earned her Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California at Irvine in 2006 under the direction of Prof. Larry E. Overman studying Pd(II)-catalyzed asymmetric allylic imidate rearrangements. From 2006-2009 Mary studied as a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University in Prof. Eric N. Jacobsen’s reasearch group. During her time in the Jacobsen group, she developed a nickel-catalyzed method for olefin arylcyanation via activation of C-CN bonds. In 2009 she joined the University of Delaware and has since been conducting independant research.