Courtney is a member of Emory’s incoming graduate cohort for Fall 2024. She will join Emory as a Woodruff and Centennial Fellow as well as an NSF GRFP awardee.

Originally from Semmes, Alabama, Courtney received her B.S. in Chemistry from the University of South Alabama in 2022.

In undergrad, her research focused on synthesizing multi-substituted quinoline scaffolds as potential HIV-1 integrase enzyme inhibitors. Afterwards, she began graduate school at West Virginia University working with Drs. Jessica Hoover, Margaret Hilton, and Oluwatobi Odeleye.

“My research projects at WVU focused on developing new reaction methodologies, photocatalysis, and chemical education,” says Courtney. She received my M.S. from WVU in the Spring of 2024.

“Courtney is a thoughtful, motivated, and creative researcher.”

Dr. Margaret Hilton

“Courtney is a thoughtful, motivated, and creative researcher,” says WVU mentor Dr. Margaret Hilton. “I am honored to have worked with her in my research group for two years at West Virginia University, where she was also a Ruby Distinguished Doctoral Fellow. I know Courtney will continue to contribute to the scientific community in her research and teaching, and I am very proud of her accomplishments!”

Courtney’s research proposal for the NSF application focused on mechanistically investigating a photoinduced alpha-hydroxy C–H alkylation reaction and proposing chiral boron catalysts to perform the chemical transformation site and stereoselectively. The goal of the proposed work is to apply this chemistry to complex polyols to access new biological active compounds.

“Courtney is an outstanding scholar, researcher, and person,” says Dr. Laura Ackerman-Biegasiewicz. “She is mature, passionate, and resilient in the pursuit of all of her goals. We congratulate Courtney on her accomplishments and are excited for her to join the Emory community in the Fall!”

Outside of the lab, Courney’s hobbies include going to coffee shops, watching sports (Roll Tide!), and shopping. She also has a passion for teaching youth and underrepresented groups in her community about chemistry.