Ryan M. De Gennaro is an Undergraduate Co-op student who has returned to the Aizenberg group for an 8 month Co-op placement (January-August, 2020) as part of completing his Undergraduate Co-op Chemistry degree at the University of Waterloo (2016-2021). Ryan is currently focusing on systematically synthesizing novel Liquid Crystalline Elastomer mesogens, in the hope to better understand the impact of individual chemical moieties, both intermolecular and intramolecular effects, and varying forces that are observed throughout Liquid Crystalline Elastomers upon both polymerization and the application of external stimuli. 

 

Ryan hopes to further his education in the fields of Total Synthetic and Asymmetric Organic Chemistry, focusing on both reaction methodology development and the optimization of past and future total syntheses.