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Aaron T. Smith (Principal Investigator)
Aaron T. Smith (Principal Investigator)
Professional Appointments
Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry (2022-present)
Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry (2016-2022)
NIST Guest Researcher (2019-2022)
NIH NRSA Postdoctoral fellow (2013-2016, Northwestern University)
Postdoctoral associate (2012-2013, Northwestern University)
Education
Ph. D. in Inorganic Chemistry (2012, University of Wisconsin-Madison)
M.S. in Inorganic Chemistry (2010, University of Wisconsin-Madison)
B.A. in Chemistry (2007, Boston University)
Recent Honors and Awards
Carl S. Weber Teaching Award (UMBC) 2023
Director, T32 Chemistry-Biology Interface (CBI) Training Grant (UMBC) 2022-present
Co-director, T32 Chemistry-Biology Interface (CBI) Training Grant (UMBC) 2021-2022
CNMS Early Career Faculty Excellence Award (UMBC) 2022
HHMI Gilliam Mentor (UMBC) 2022-present
Beckman Scholar Faculty Mentor (UMBC) 2022-2023Â
NSF CAREER Award (UMBC) 2019
American Heart Association Career Development Grant (UMBC) 2019
Career Center Impact Recognition Award (UMBC) 2018
Summer Faculty Fellowship (UMBC) 2017
NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA Postdoctoral Fellowship (NU) 2013
Postdoctoral Scholars
Postdoctoral Scholars
Dr. Harvinder Singh
Postdoctoral Scholar
Ph.D. in Biochemistry (2017, University of Otago)
B.S. in Biotechnology (2006, SRM University)
Joined the lab: 2024
Graduate Students
Graduate Students
Alexander Paredes
Graduate Student in Chemistry
NSF Graduate Research Fellow (deferred)
HHMI Gilliam Fellow
B.S. in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (2020, Gettysburg College)
Joined the lab: 2020
Misti Cartwright
Graduate Student in Chemistry
M.S. in Environmental Metrology and Policy (2020, Georgetown)
B.S. in Biochemistry (2011, University of Tampa)
Joined the lab: 2020
Candice Armstrong
Graduate Student in Chemistry
B.S. in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (2022, UMBC)
A.S. in Chemistry/Biochemistry (2021, Montgomery College Rockville)
Joined the lab: 2022
Rajat Kumar Jha
Graduate Student in Chemistry
M. Tech in Biotechnology (2022, Sharda University, India)
B. Tech in Biotechnology (2020, Sharda University, India)
Joined the lab: 2022
Jeanne Ngo
Graduate Student in Chemistry
B.S. in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (2023, UMBC)
Joined the lab: 2024
Post-Baccalaureates
Post-Baccalaureates
Kate Magante
NSF USM PRELS Post-Bac
B.S. in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (2024, UMBC)
Former LSAMP Scholar
Joined the lab: 2022
Undergraduate Students
Undergraduate Students
Caleb Zeleke
Undergraduate Researcher
Meyerhoff Scholar
Major: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Joined the lab: 2024
Branwen She
Undergraduate Researcher
Honors College Student
Majors: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Biology
Joined the lab: 2025
Tayyiba Bari
Undergraduate Researcher
Majors: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Economics
Joined the lab: 2025
Sara Patamawenu
Undergraduate Researcher
Meyerhoff Scholar
Major: Biological Sciences
Joined the lab: 2025
Michelle Ibino
Undergraduate Researcher
LSAMP Scholar
Major: Biological Sciences
Joined the lab: 2025
Lab Alumni
Postdoctoral Scholars (years and current affiliation)
Dr. Janae Baptise-Brown (2020-2022; Assistant Professor, Spelman College)
Graduate Students (years and current affiliation)
Dr. Mark Lee (2019-2024; Postdoctoral Researcher, Penn State University)
Dr. Verna Van (2018-2022; Scientific Illustrator)
Dr. Alex Sestok (2016-2022; Chemistry Reviewer, FDA)
Dr. Hannah Rosenbach (2018; Lonza Biotech)
Timothy Cain (2020; Decernis, LLC)
Nathan Max (2018-2019; Hansoh Bio)
Andrew Butler (2017-2018)
Post-Baccalaureates (years and current affiliation)
Jonathan Calderon (2025; NIH)
Undergraduate Students (years and current affiliation)
John McKenna Soto (2024-2025; Thorlabs)
Darryn Greene (2023-2025)
Rya Holzman (2024; UMBC)
Jeanne Ngo (2023-2024; PhD student, UMBC)
Kate Magante (2022-present; NSF USM PRELS Post-Bac, UMBC)
Chioma Iheacho (2021-2024; PhD Student, Northwestern University IBiS Program)
Christian Taylor (2024; UMBC)
Ayomide Oduwole (2023-2023; UMBC)
Yassin El Alamy (2022-2023; UMBC)
Toluwani Akinselure (2022-2023; MS Student, Drexel University)
Noah Diaz Cruz (2021-2022; REACH Scholar, Stanford School of Medicine)
Nna-Emeka Ejimogu (2019-2022; MD/PhD student, Johns Hopkins University)
Victor Omokehinde (2020; Amazon Web Services)
Sean O'Sullivan (2019-2021; PhD student, UMBC Dept. of Biology)
Toan Bui (2019-2021; MD candidate, University of Maryland)
Korliss Britt (2020; MS candidate, Virginia Tech)
Sam Harris (2017-2019; Research Program Assistant, Johns Hopkins University)
Ijaz Mohamed (2016-2018; MD candidate, Rowan School of Medicine)
Julia Miller (2018; PharmD candidate, Ohio State University)
Richard Linkous (2016-2018; Research Development Associate, Astra Zeneca)
Daniel Romero Figueroa (2016-2018; Meso Scale Diagnostics, LLC)
Kenya Platero Lopez (2016-2018)
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