Meet Your Tutors!
Rijul Malik (rijulm@uci.edu)
Hey guys! My name is Rijul Malik and I’m a fourth year neurobiology major planning on pursuing a MD-PhD. Most of my time is dedicated to research in the Lodoen lab as well being a coordinator for the OCPT program. I’m sure everyone has heard rumors about the difficulty and workload of Organic Chemistry but don’t let it scare you. The best advice I can give you is to not procrastinate and to review the concepts and practice as much as possible. I’m here to help you in any way I can. After completing the ochem series, I can say without a doubt it was a lot of hard work but it was some of the best classes I have taken yet. Don’t be afraid to reach out and I look forward to meeting you all!
Eric Ashkarian (eashkari@uci.edu)
Hello everyone! My name is Eric Ashkarian, and I’m very excited to be a peer tutor for this school year! I’m a third year student studying Chemistry and Biology, with plans to pursue a PhD in organic chemistry. I conduct research in the lab of Dr. Rychnovsky, where I work on natural product total synthesis and small molecule synthesis. I decided to become a tutor because I enjoy giving back to my peers as much as possible. When I took organic chemistry, I instantly fell in love with it, and I hope you all gain an appreciation for the subject as well! I look forward to working with you all, and have a good year!
Brian Alba (bwalba@uci.edu)
Hey y’all! My name is Brian, and I’m super stoked to be one of your peer tutors this year! I’m a third-year bio major and Spanish minor on the premed track, and am involved in the PhiDE pre-medical fraternity, an intern for a financial literacy program at the business school, an EASE Peer Coach for the BioSci School, and do research at CHOC. Organic chemistry can be a treacherous voyage at times, but I have come to understand the importance of navigating these choppy waters with others. Whether it comes to explaining tricky concepts or gleaning unique perspectives, finding others to work with helped me a great deal in this series. So, if I have any advice to you, it would be to reach out to your peers, our program, or LARC! While I was a skeptic at first and very self-reliant, I noticed an immediate difference once I started studying with a good friend. Can’t wait to get to meet y’all, and don’t hesitate to reach out for any questions or concerns you may have!
Grant Lai (ghlai@uci.edu)
Hello! My name is Grant Lai. As of Fall 2023, I am a third-year Chemistry and Biological Sciences major. Currently, I work in the Nowick lab, researching and synthesizing peptide antibiotics. You will probably find me rambling about chemistry and attempting to guess names and faces. I also have a tendency to express opinions and ideas in probabilities because I see nuance and uncertainty as core principles. In the name of learning, in the pursuit of understanding, for there is so much to know and so little that I know.
Dylan Kodira (dkodira@uci.edu)
Hey everyone! My name is Dylan Kodira and I am a third year Chemistry major specializing in Synthetic and Medicinal Chemistry. I currently conduct research in Sim Lab, working on synthesizing supramolecular polymers fueled by bioelectricity. I, like many students, struggled to grasp the concepts of the 51 series at first. But by implementing the right studying strategies and hard work, the concepts fell right into place, making organic chemistry one of the most enjoyable and gratifying subjects to learn. I became a peer tutor because I want to see as many students along their learning journey, guiding them to that same moment that made me fall in love with organic chemistry. I can’t wait to work with all of you, and don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns!
Viktor Gevirtzman (vgevirtz@uci.edu)
Hello everyone, my name is Viktor and I am a third-year Biology and Chemistry double major. I aspire to get a Ph.D. in chemistry and then become an organic chemistry professor while researching medicinal and pharmaceutical chemistry. Originally just a biology major on the pre-med track, I developed a passion during the 51 series that ultimately caused me to switch my career path and add a chemistry major. I am looking forward to getting a handful of this class to acquire the same passion for organic chemistry as me, and at the very least, help make it a less strenuous topic for the remainder.
Cindy Chen (cindc15@uci.edu)
Hi everyone! My name is Cindy, and I am so excited to support you all through your organic chemistry journey this year! I am a third-year Microbiology & Immunology major hoping to enter the healthcare field. Most of my time at UCI is spent studying for classes I stress too much about and doing research at the Kvon Lab with developmental enhancers. Organic chemistry was definitely one of those classes at the start, but as the series continued, my understanding as well as my love for organic chemistry grew tremendously. I hope I can help you all build that same foundation and appreciation for the beauty of the subject!
Katelyn Nguyen (katelyun@uci.edu)
Hi! I’m Katelyn and I’m a 3rd year Bio Sci major. I am in the Blumberg lab, researching the epigenetic effects on obesity and obesity related diseases. Other than that I am part of the Pro-Health Journal Club, a student-run journal club that emphasizes collaboration between different disciplines. I hope you’ll learn to enjoy organic chemistry as much as I do and show you that it’s not as scary as it seems. Feel free to reach out with any kinds of questions.
Junan Zhu (junanz1@uci.edu)
Hi everyone! My name is Junan Zhu, and I’m a third-year Biochemistry and Molecular Biology student planning to pursue a PhD in this field. I currently work in the Jusiak Lab researching cancer-host interactions using Drosophila cancer models, testing synthetic gene circuits that enable macrophages to recognize and engulf cancer cells. When I’m not doing research or school work I like to write music with my guitar and go on birding trips with the Birding Club. The Organic Chemistry series contains my favorite classes taken so far, and as a tutor, I’d love to make this journey fun and enjoyable for y’all as well! A piece of advice I’d give is to study with friends because it’d help you get more familiar with the content than studying on your own. (And count your Carbons. That too.) I look forward to meeting y’all and guiding you through this adventure in the Ochem world!
Julian Tejano (tejanoj@uci.edu)
Hi everyone! My name is Julian Tejano and I am a 3rd year Biological Sciences major on the pre-PA track. Outside of school, I am part of the COPE Health Scholars program as a volunteer at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach. I am also a part of a few on-campus organizations like the Pilipinx Pre-Health Undergraduate Student Organization (PUSO) and Medical, Educational Missions and Outreach (MEMO). In my free time, I enjoy playing video games, listening to music, and exploring cafes and coffee shops! Enough about me, I understand that ochem can be quite the intimidating challenge. To me, however, I think of it as a fun and brain-exercising puzzle game. Once you master the concepts, you’ll breeze through problems and find ochem to be fun! As one of your peer tutors this year, I hope to bring out your full potential and help you develop the same passion for ochem as I do. Good luck on your journey, and I look forward to meeting all of you!