Principal Investigator
Dr. Ranil Gurusinghe
Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Tennessee Tech (2022 – Present)
Graduate Students
Randi K. Padikoralage
Chemistry Masters Student
(Fall 2023 – Present)
E-mail: rikalahepa42@tntech.edu
Thushitha Jayasekara
Chemistry Masters Student
(Fall 2023 – Present)
I am Thusitha S. Jayasekara, a Senior Master’s student in Chemistry. Joined the GRU Lab in Fall 2023. Currently contributing to the development of Tennessee’s first Fourier Transform Microwave (FTMW) spectrometer. Research interests include exploring quantum tunneling and the intrinsic molecular properties of methyl-substituted styrene and quinoline derivatives.
E-mail: tsjayaseka42@tntech.edu
Cadence Miller
PhD Student in Environmental Science with a Concentration in Chemistry
Cadence received his bachelor’s in chemical engineering and chemistry in Spring 2024, and is now a first year Ph.D. student working in the Gru Lab. Their research primarily focuses on fundamental properties of molecules such as quantum tunneling in 3-methylstyrene using microwave spectroscopy. He is also interested in pursuing the identification of relevant molecules in the interstellar medium that can provide insight into the atmospheric chemistry on Earth.
(Fall 2024 – Present)
E-mail: cemiller43@tntech.edu
Undergraduate Research Students
Mitchell Swann
Major: Chemistry, Custom Chemistry Concentration, ACS certification
My name is Mitchell Swann. I am a chemistry major, and I have been involved in research with the Gru Lab since Fall 2022. I’ve worked on the rotational spectroscopy of methylstyrenes, and I enjoy learning how to use the different scientific instruments in the lab.
E-mail: mwswann42@tntech.edu
Vasilisa Khodyakova
Major: Chemistry
E-mail: vzhukova42@tntech.edu
Madeline Kidder
Major: Chemical Engineering
Madeline Kidder is an undergraduate in her senior year in chemical engineering, and she has been working with the Gru lab for just under a year. She has mainly worked on the collection of a 4-methylstyrene microwave spectrum and the education of fellow undergraduate students on microwave spectroscopy. Her research interests include spectroscopy, kinetics, and ceramics.
E-mail: mrkidder42@tntech.edu