I am currently examining the inter- and intramolecular cycloaddition of cyclopenta trimethylenemethane (TMM) diradicals with substances containing the C=N unit.  We are hopeful that the work will lead to a facile synthesis of nitrogen containing heterocycles.

I have recently made significnt progress in the synthesis of simplified versions of the pseudopterosins and seco-pseudopterosins, and have targeted modifications designed to study structure activity relationships.

The focus of my research is upon the synthesis of simplified structural analogues of the pseudopterosins. The goal of this project is to gain a better understanding of their structure activity relationship profile.

Bachelors of Science in chemistry from the California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo;  Masters of Science in polymers and coatings chemistry.  To complete his masters thesis Trevor performed research under the direction of Dr. Lino Ferreira in the Langer lab, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Currently my research is focused on trying to elucidate the mechanism of action for pseudopterosin A (PsA) and other modified pseudopterosins and seco-pseudopterosins. Analogs of these compounds will be prepared and tested using electrochemical analysis techniques. Further analysis will be performed on the products and, if formed, the by-products created during the electrochemical analysis in an effort to gain insight into the possible biological redox interactions that may occur in vivo.

Rearrangement of Housane Radical Cations
Bicyclo[2.1.0]pentanes (housanes) are oxidized by using a variety of chemical and physical methods including CET and PET to generate cyclopentane-1,3-radical cations. These intermediates undergo Wagner-Meerwein migration to form the corresponding cyclopentene derivatives after back electron transfer. In efforts to devise methodology to assemble housanes and investigate remote substituent effects upon 1,2-migration of housane radical cations in order to control the rearrangement, a novel route to synthesize housanes was developed.  

Indirect electrochemical oxidation of housanes using tris(4-bromophenyl)amine as the mediator was explored to initiate the rearrangement process. This regioselective transformation illustrated below offers attractive opportunities for the convenient and efficient synthesis of polycyclic structures.

The natural product daucene isolated from carrot seeds is the well-known member of carotene type sesquiterpenes and its synthesis is underway.

My current research focuses upon achieving highly diastereoselective electroreductive cyclization reactions through the use of a chiral auxiliary based on L-malic acid. I am working under the guidance of Professor David Marten of Westmont College.  Professor Marten is on sabbatical in Dr. Little's group at UCSB. 

My research focuses upon the development of a new synthetic route to the anti-tumor antibiotic agent called pentalenolactone E methyl ester. The approach uses as a key step an electroreductive cyclization reaction to access the bicyclo[3.3.0] bicyclic portion of the tricyclic target structure.

My current research in the group is directed towards developing enantioselective methods for the electroreductive cyclization (ERC) reaction using chiral metal complexes as mediators. These metal complexes (normally salen derivatives) allow for the use of a lower potential in the ERC reaction of unsaturated aldehydes (see Ph.D. dissertation of James Miranda). We are using the chiral, optically active metal containing compounds to probe the mechanism of the ERC reaction in these systems.