About Prof. Speight

Prof. Isaiah Speight is a native of the Hampton Roads Area, born and raised in Portsmouth, VA. He earned his B.S. in chemistry in 2016 from Norfolk State University as a DNIMAS Scholar. During this time, he did undergraduate research in polymer and carbohydrate synthesis. Isaiah then moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he completed his Ph.D. as a Provost’s Graduate Fellow at Vanderbilt University with Prof. Timothy Hanusa. During his time as a Ph.D. student, Isaiah developed new mechanochemical methods for making inorganic and organometallic compounds. Following his doctoral work, Isaiah became a NIGMS Postdoctoral Fellow at University of California, Irvine. His research focused on the development of new technologies for amide reduction and bond formation. Prof. Speight did a short stint in industry at AbbVie in the New Chemistry and Continuous Improvement group where his work focused on green synthesis of pharmaceutical targets.

Isaiah joined the W&M chemistry department in Fall of 2023 where his group focuses on mechanochemistry and sustainable chemistry. In addition to his bench work, Isaiah works very closely with the National Organization for Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE), serving on the Executive Board as their National Student Representative (2019-2021) and as their Western Regional Chair (2021-2023). He is also currently a WM SURE faculty fellow where his presence in the program helps support first-year students learn about research opportunities across W&M, how to effectively navigate the first year, and build a sense of community when starting college.

Meet the Group Members

Theo Bremner (He/Him)

Class of 2026, Chemistry

Research Project - MOFs and Structural Analysis

Lance Cody Jr. (He/Him)

Class of 2026, Chemistry/Art

Research Project - MOFs and Structural Analysis

Connor Doran (He/Him)

Class of 2026, Chemistry

Research Project - Scalable Synthesis via MChem

Brianna Furman (She/Her)

Class of 2027, Chemistry

Research Project - Scalable Synthesis via MChem

Evan Amesbury (He/Him)

Class of 2027, Neuroscience

Research Project - [REDACTED]

Vanessa Sanni (She/Her)

Class of 2027, Kinesiology (Chemistry Minor)

Research Project - Mechanochemical Development for Chemical Education

Rodney Amankwah (He/Him)

Class of 2027, Chemistry

Research Project - Mechanochemical Development for Chemical Education

Sophia Guinea (She/Her)

Class of 2028, Undeclared

Research Project - 3D Printed Reaction Vessels/Mechanocatalytic Complexation

Evie Scally (She/Her)

Class of 2028 - Chemistry

Research Project - CMCC Database Building

Group Funding and Collaborators

NSF Center for Mechanical Control of Chemistry

The Speight group is one of many dedicated research teams that are a part of the CMCC. Click the Center's logo to visit their website and learn more!

Friščić Research Group (University of Birmingham)

The Friščić Group regularly collaborates with our researchers to create international opportunities for our team and create new and exciting research directions. Their vast knowlege of mechanochemistry and new mechanochemical techniques help us explore new directions.

Nelson Research Group (California Institute of Technology)

The Nelson Group has started an open collaboration with us in the areas of crystallography and structure refinement. Their expertise in cryoEM and MicroED will enhance our group's science tremendously.