UNCW Students Receive Pharmaceutical Chemistry Fellowships

Three students have been awarded fellowships in the UNCW Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry’s Pharmaceutical Chemistry doctoral program. Ernest Brubaker II, Courtney Clevenger and Cullen Wright are UNCW’s 2025-26 Pharmaceutical Chemistry Ph.D. Fellows.

Brubaker, the Yousry and Linda Sayed Graduate Fellow in Pharmaceutical Chemistry, is a rising fourth-year doctoral candidate studying under the guidance of Professor Jeremy Morgan, chair of the department. He earned an associate of science from Cape Fear Community College before obtaining a bachelor’s in chemistry from UNCW. Brubaker’s research is advancing organic chemistry with new techniques for building drug‑relevant molecules. His work focuses on using highly reactive nitrogen‑based ring structures and carbon nucleophiles to form precise carbon–carbon bonds, enabling the efficient creation of complex compounds sought by the pharmaceutical industry.

Clevenger, a fourth-year doctoral student, is the recipient of the Maravai LifeSciences Fellowship in Pharmaceutical Chemistry, conducting research under Associate Professor Wendy Strangman as part of the Drug DISCOvery group. Clevenger earned her bachelor of science in chemistry with a minor in clinical research from UNCW, graduating with honors. Her work centers on identifying new bioactive molecules from the ocean. She studies complex chemical mixtures produced by harmful algal blooms and seaweeds on coral reefs, using advanced analytical tools such as mass spectrometry, untargeted metabolomics and molecular networking to uncover previously unknown natural compounds.

Wright, the recipient of the Alcami Corporation Leadership Fellowship in Pharmaceutical Chemistry, is a fourth-year doctoral candidate studying under the dual guidance of Associate Professor Thomas Coombs and Professor Hee-Seung Lee. Wright earned associate in arts and associate in science degrees from Southeastern Community College while attending North Brunswick High School. Continuing his education, he earned a bachelor of arts degree in chemistry from UNCW, where he conducted undergraduate synthetic organic research in the Coombs Lab. Wright is studying how to use visible light to guide chemical reactions, so they produce one mirror‑image form of a molecule over the other. His work blends hands‑on experimentation with computer modeling to understand how catalysts made from natural Cinchona alkaloids, like quinine, control this selectivity.

“Research performed by this year’s fellows represents a diverse range of projects focused on new small molecules for drug development,” said Morgan. “We are grateful to the donors for their support in funding dedicated research assistantships that provide advanced training opportunities.”

UNCW introduced its pharmaceutical chemistry Ph.D. program in 2023, designed to train future scientists for careers in academia and the pharmaceutical and chemical industries. The university also offers undergraduate degrees in chemistry and biochemistry, as well as a master’s program in chemistry.