Occidental College Science Scholar Kian Shamskhou ’22 studies chemical reactions that form bonds between carbon atoms, seeking to find less toxic alternatives.
Biochemistry major Kian Shamskhou '22 was named a 2021-22 Occidental College Science Scholar and received funding from the Fletcher Jones Foundation to research “Intermolecular Additions of Ketyl Radicals Produced via Photoredox Catalysis,” alongside his mentor, Associate Professor of Chemistry Jeffrey Cannon. The two are working to discover new chemical reactions that form bonds between carbon atoms—specifically reactions that use visible light so that we can use abundant energy sources as a way of replacing reactions that have larger, more toxic waste streams.
