Graduate Students
Taylor Thane
B.A., University of San Diego, 2017
Ph.D., UC Irvine, 2022
tthane@uci.edu
Most Promising Future Faculty Award (2021), Brython–Davis Fellowship (2021), Departmental Service Award (2020)
Current position: incoming assistant professor at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Kirsten Hewitt
B.A., University of Pennsylvania, 2017
Ph.D., UC Irvine, 2022
khewitt1@uci.edu
Allergan Fellow (2022), UCI Department of Chemistry Dissertation Fellowship (2022)
Current position: Investigator in process chemistry at GSK
Amberly Sanford
B.S., UC Davis, 2014
Ph.D., UC Irvine, 2020
sanforda@uci.edu
2019 Allergan Graduate Fellowship
Current position: Investigator in medicinal chemistry at GSK
Alissa Matus
B.S., Azusa Pacific University, 2018
Current position: Yang Lab at UC Irvine
matusa@uci.edu
Erika Lucas
B.S., UC Santa Cruz, 2014
Ph.D., UC Irvine, 2019
ellucas@uci.edu
2015 GAANN Fellow
2015 NSF GRFP Honorable Mention
2016 NSF GRFP Honorable Mention
2017 UCI Contributions to Chemistry Department Teaching Program Award
2017 ACS Women Chemists Committee Eli Lilly Travel Award
2018 UCI Most Promising Future Faculty Award
Postdoc: Jin-Quan Yu, 2020
Current Position: Research Scientist in Process Development at Gilead
Thom Endean
B.S., Hope College, 2013
Ph.D., UC Irvine, 2018
tendean@uci.edu
2014–2015 GAANN Fellow
2015–2017 Graduate Safety Fellowship
Current Position: Senior Scientist in Discovery Process at Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals
David Dawson
B.S., Brandeis University, 2012
Ph.D., UC Irvine, 2017
Current Position: Research Scientist at VERTOSA
dddawson@uci.edu
Mikhail Konev
B.S., Western Washington University, 2012
Ph.D., UC Irvine, 2017
2016 JSPS/EAPSI Fellowship, held in Osaka University
Current Position: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
mkonev@uci.edu
Lucas Erickson
B.A., Macalester College, 2012
Ph.D., UC Irvine, 2017
Postdoc with Ronald Raines
Current Position: Gilead
lerickso@uci.edu
Luke Hanna
B.S. CSU, Fullerton, 2010
Ph.D., UC Irvine, 2016
lehanna@uci.edu
2012–2015 GAANN Fellow
2016 Dissertation Fellowship
Postdoc with Sarah Reisman
Current Position: Janssen
Emily Tollefson
B.S., Pacific Lutheran University, 2011
Ph.D., UC Irvine, 2016
etollefs@uci.edu
2011 GOF Fellow
2012 NSF GRFP Honorable Mention
2016 Lilly Graduate Fellowship
Postdoc with Erin Carlson
Current Position: Assistant Professor, University of Puget Sound
Charlotte Osborne
B.A., Willamette University, 2011
Ph.D., UC Irvine, 2015
osbornec@uci.edu
2011, 2012 & 2013 NSF GRFP Honorable Mentions
NIH NRSA Predoctoral Fellow
Current Position: Medical Writer, Envision Pharma Group
Michael Harris
B.A., Willamette University, 2010
Ph.D, UC Irvine, 2015
harrism1@uci.edu
2010 UCI Chancellor’s Fellow
2011 UCI Ford Family Foundation Fellow
2011 UCI Chemistry Teaching Award
2012 NSF Graduate Research Fellow
Current position: Senior Scientist, Novo Nordisk Research Center
Aaron George Johnson
B.S., BYU, 2009
Ph.D., UC Irvine, 2015
a.g.johnson@uci.edu
2011 NSF GRFP Honorable Mention
2012 LaVerne Noyes Fellowship
2013 Gebel Award
Current position: Technology and Development Engineer, Intel Corporation
Iva Yonova
B.S., Bryn Mawr, 2008
Ph.D., UC Irvine, 2013
2011 UCI Chemistry Teaching Award
Current Position: Clinical Project Coordinator, Quintiles
Hanna Wisniewska
B.S., UC Berkeley, 2007
Ph.D., UC Irvine, 2013
GAANN Fellow
Postdoc, Finn Group, Georgia Tech
Current Position: Principal Scientist, Pfizer
Elizabeth Swift
B.S., UC Santa Barbara, 2008
Ph.D., UC Irvine, 2013
2012 UCI Pedagogical Fellow
Current Position: Senior Scientist at Janssen Inc.
Peg Greene
B.S., Villanova University, 2005
DuPont CR&D, 2005-2008
Ph.D., UC Irvine, 2013
Current Position: BASF Chemical Company
Buck Taylor
B.A., Willamette University, 2006
Ph.D., UC Irvine, 2012
2007 UCI Chancellor’s Fellow
2008 UCI Chemistry Teaching Award
2011 UCI Pedagogical Fellow
2011 Allergan Graduate Fellow
Graduate Dean’s Dissertation Fellow
2012 Hal Moore Award
2012 Outstanding Contributions to the Chemistry Teaching Program Award
Current Position: Associate Professor of Chemistry, University of Portland
https://www1.up.edu/academics/faculty-profiles/2017-new-faculty-profiles/buck-taylor.html
Ben Kohn
B.A., Reed College, 2005
Synarc, Inc. 2005-2006
Ph.D., UC Irvine, 2012
Vertex Graduate Fellow
Postdoc, Rovis Group, Colorado State
Current Position: Boston Biomedical
email: ben.kohn@colostate.edu
Florrie Williams
B.S., NYU, 2006
Ph.D., UC Irvine, 2011
2010 Smitrovich Prize
Current Position: Assistant Professor, University of Iowa
https://www.williamsresearchlab.com/
email: fw2@princeton.edu
Mike Shaghafi
B.S., UC Davis, Biochemistry, 2003
Celera Genomics, Medicinal Chemistry, 2003-05
Ph.D., UC Irvine, 2011
Green Materials Program Fellow
REGM Fellow
Postdoc, Overman Group, UC Irvine
Current Position: eFFECTOR Therapeutics, Inc.
Nick Barczak
B.S., University of Rochester, 2003
Neurogen Corp, Discovery, 2003-2005
Ph.D., UC Irvine, 2011
Postdoc, Ferreira Group, Colorado State University
Current Position: Forma Therapeutics
Tim Barker
B.A., St. Olaf College, 2006
Ph.D., UC Irvine, 2011
Graduate Dean’s Dissertation Fellow
NIH Postdoc, Boger Group, The Scripps Research Institute
Current Position: Associate Professor, College of Charleston
email: barkertj@cofc.edu
Robin Grote
B.A., San Diego State University, 2005
Ph.D., UC Irvine, 2010
ARCS Fellow
Postdoc, Danishefsky Group, Columbia University
Current Position: Associate Professor, Otterbein University
email: rgrote@otterbein.edu
Postdocs
Nadia Ilchenko
Ph.D. with Kálmán Szabó, Stockholm University, 2017
nilchenk@uci.edu
2017–2019 Stiftelsen Olle Engkvist Byggmästare Fellowship
Current position: Astra Zeneca, Stockholm, Quality Assurance Officer
Josh Waetzig
Ph.D., University of Kansas, 2008
(Advisor: Prof. Paul Hanson)
B.S. Creighton University, 2003
Current Position: Scientist, Millennium Pharmaceuticals
email: jwaetzig@hotmail.com
Aaron Amick
B.S., Juniata College, 2003
Ph.D., Boston College, 2008
(Advisor: Prof. Lawrence T. Scott)
Current position: Professor, Washington College
email: aamick2@washcoll.edu
Visiting Professors
Nancy Williams
Associate Professor of Chemistry
The Keck Science Department of Claremont McKenna, Scripps, and Pitzer Colleges
nwilliams@kecksci.claremont.edu
Visiting Students
Zi Qi Wang
Undergraduate Student at Nankai University
Kenji Domon
Graduate Student at University of Tokyo
Undergraduate Students
Star Garrigues
Summer intern at Genentech
Summer 2022 REU student from University of Portland
Anthony Castro
Current position: Graduate student at University of Wisconsin, Madison
UC Irvine 2018
UROP Fellow 2017-2018
SURP Fellow Summer 2017
Allergan Fellow Summer 2017
CSU LA MORE Program
Yhardfah Tiemsanjai
UC Irvine 2019
SURP Fellow 2018-2019
Allergan Fellow 2018-2019
Beyond Meat
Elena Thomas
UC Irvine 2018
2018 NSF GRFP Fellowship
Graduate Student at University of Washington
Daniel Chang
Chapman University 2019
Chapman SURF Fellow 2018
Graduate Student at Caltech
Lizette De Guzman
UC Irvine 2020
Bernadette Mercado
UC Irvine 2017
Pfizer AIR Fellowship
UROP Fellow
2016 Allergan Fellowship
Current Position: Murad R+D
Marissa Tranquilli
Cornell University, 2015
Chem-SURF REU Summer Fellow
email: mmt62@cornell.edu
Bianca Christensen
UCI, 2014
Allergan, SURP, and UROP Summer Fellow
email: bchrist1@uci.edu
Sophia Nael
UC Riverside, 2013
NSF REU Chem-SURF Summer Fellow
email: snael001@ucr.edu
Ruben Martinez
UC Irvine, 2012
Allergan, SURP, and UROP Summer Fellow
Merck Award
NSF Graduate Research Fellow, Baran Group, The Scripps Research Institute
Current Position: Research Scientist at IDEAYA Biosciences
email: lpmartin@scripps.edu
Naoko Ichiishi
UC Irvine, 2011
Pfizer Organic Research Award
Allergan, SURP, and UROP Summer Fellow
HHMI International Student Fellow, Sanford Group, University of Michigan
Current Position: Research Scientist at Takeda Pharmaceuticals
email: naokoi@umich.edu
Markus Doerr
Undergraduate, Philips-Universitaet Marburg, Germany
NSF REU Summer Research Fellow
Current Position: Ph.D. Student in Chemical Biology at Philipps-University, Marburg, Germany
email: markusdoerr@hotmail.de
Chanel Easley
Undergraduate, Pennsylvania State University
NSF REU Summer Fellow
Anticipated Graduation: 2011
email: cre5019@psu.edu
Erik Jan Lindeboom
Undergraduate Student
College of Leiden, Netherlands
Current position: Graduate student, Sherburn Group, Australian National University
email: erikjanlindeboom@hotmail.com
Brian McGrew
Undergraduate Student
Allergan, SURP and UROP Summer Fellow
email: bmcgrew@uci.edu
James Moten
Undergraduate, NMSU
NSF REU Summer Fellow
email: jmoten@nmsu.edu
Ryan Naylor
Undergraduate, UC Irvine
Novartis and UROP Summer Fellow
Current Position: NIH F30 MD/PhD Fellow, Mayo Clinic
email: naylor.ryan@mayo.edu
High School Students
Juan Pedroza
Godinez Fundamental High School
Bonnie Huang
El Toro High School 2017
2016 UCI Cancer Research Institute Youth Fellowship Program