Karanveer Brar

Chemistry Specialist at the University of Toronto

Hi, I am a chemistry student interested in physical and material chemistry, as well as applied mathematics.

Experience

February 2026 – Present

Combined lanthanide(III) binding data from 5 sources, filled in missing ligand structures from PubChem, and built features from Morgan fingerprints, RDKit descriptors, and metal properties.
Trained a tensor-network kernel machine plus LightGBM model, validated with 10-fold CV grouped by ligand, and a second model to isolate metal selectivity, followed by a SHAP analysis to see which features drive predictions.
Screened ligands across the 4f series for selectivity, and then used a DEAP genetic algorithm to mutate top ligands into new candidates, scored on affinity, selectivity, and 3D strain.

2025 - 2029

University of Toronto

In progress

Relevant coursework

May 2026 – August 2026

Mathematics Union

Launched registration systems for the mentorship program and fall Colloquium series, collecting 16+ mentor/mentee sign-ups and 3 speaker submissions.
Designed promotional posters and materials for academic events to increase undergraduate engagement.
Supported coordination of fall Colloquium events, assisting with logistics for seminars featuring student and faculty speakers.

October 2025 – May 2026

Physics Student Union

Elected to represent 300+ first-year physics students. Met with physics faculty to push for changes to course delivery, assessments, and learning resources.
Organized 5+ workshops and peer study sessions on first year foundational physics, averaging 40+ attendees each.
Turned student survey feedback into proposals and worked with student councils to take academic concerns to faculty.

Peer-reviewed publications, working papers, and essays.