English-Stonehouse Fellows

Faculty Fellows 2026-2028

Katelynn A. Perrault Uptmor is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at William & Mary and Principal Investigator of the Nontargeted Separations Laboratory (Seplab). She earned her Ph.D. in Forensic Analytical Chemistry from the University of Technology Sydney in Australia and completed postdoctoral research at the University of Liège in Belgium. Dr. Perrault Uptmor’s research centers on the chemical analysis of complex volatile mixtures using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC) to uncover molecular signatures linked to life, health, disease, and death. Her work spans forensic, biological, and environmental chemistry applications—ranging from fingerprint residue and pepper spray analysis to fermentation products, microbial volatiles, and sustainable “green” analytical methods. She has received numerous awards recognizing her contributions to separation science and mentorship, including the ACS Satinder Ahuja Award for Young Investigators in Separation Science, the John B. Phillips Award, the Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, and multiple appearances on The Analytical Scientist’s Top 40 Under 40 Power List. Dr. Perrault Uptmor is deeply committed to educating the next generation of analytical chemists through undergraduate teaching and research mentorship. As an English-Stonehouse Faculty Fellow, Dr. Perrault Uptmor and her student researchers will study volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from wildfire smoke and related aerosols to better understand how these chemical signatures evolve across different environments. Their work will apply state-of-the-art multidimensional chromatographic techniques to develop new analytical tools for environmental and atmospheric monitoring. Student Fellows will take part in every phase of the research—from experimental design and field sample collection to instrument analysis, data interpretation, and presentation of results at scientific meetings—preparing them for advanced study and careers in analytical and environmental chemistry.

Isaiah R. Speight is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry. Dr. Speight earned his B.S. in Chemistry from Norfolk State University and his Ph.D. in Organometallic Chemistry from the Vanderbilt University. His research seeks to improve the ways we perform and view chemistry by improving the sustainability of the area. Through studying chemistry from a multi-pronged approach, the Speight Research Group seeks to explore chemical sustainability (waste and methods), financial sustainability (cost of equipment and electronic waste), and educational sustainability (what and how we teach chemistry). Dr. Speight’s work has been funded by the National Science Foundation and supported by collaborations with the chemical industry such as AbbVie Inc. Over the next two years, Dr. Speight and his English-Stonehouse Student Fellows will conduct research that focuses developing greener and safer methods to access structurally versatile compounds that can lead to pharmaceuticals in collaboration with AbbVie. We will focus on nitrogen-containing ring systems as over 50% of FDA approved drugs have at minimum one nitrogen-containing structure in them. The team will utilize mechanochemistry, the use of mechanical force to perform chemical reactions, to carry out reactions in a solvent-free manner which will reduce the waste profile of reactions. This research will enable Student Fellows to learn organic synthesis, green chemistry, and pharmaceutical chemistry while working alongside industry chemists. Students will also have opportunities to present the results of this work at conferences and potentially in published manuscripts.

Student Fellows

Student Fellows will be selected by the Faculty Fellows to begin work in Summer 2026.