Meet the Team

Dr. Sarah Tasker

Dr. Sarah Tasker was born in Ohio but grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She received her B.Sc. in Chemistry with a double major in Spanish from Calvin College (now called Calvin University) in 2010. She did undergraduate research with Professors Chad Tatko and Carolyn Anderson at Calvin, before moving on to do her Ph.D. with Tim Jamison at MIT, working to develop new nickel–catalyzed reactions. In 2015, Dr. Tasker moved to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) as a Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation Postdoctoral Scholar with Paul Hergenrother. She investigated chemical diversification of natural products for high-throughput screening libraries, and small molecule transport at the blood–brain barrier. In 2018, Dr. Tasker started as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, where she was tenured and promoted to Associate Professor of Chemistry in 2025. At F&M, she teaches Organic Chemistry I and II and General Chemistry II, as well as an advanced course in Total Synthesis of Natural Products. She does research in the fields of gas-releasing molecules, development of new reaction methodology, and antibacterial natural products with a talented team of undergraduate research students. Outside the lab, Dr. Tasker loves to travel, knits constantly, listens to way too many podcasts, and hosts lots of game nights.

Henry Tavens

F&M '25

Major: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology; pre-engineering program

Hometown: Cleveland, OH

Outside the Lab: Henry swims at F&M and is the F&M Climbing Club secretary. He also enjoys motion graphic editing, playing video games, and spending time with friends.

Taylor Weiss

F&M '27

Majors: Chemistry and Economics

Hometown: Blue Bell, PA

Outside the Lab: Taylor plays on the soccer team and is a sports photographer at F&M. She also enjoys music, travelling, and spending time with friends.

Sachin Balasubramanian

F&M '27

Majors: Chemistry and French

Hometown: Dublin, CA

Outside the Lab: Sachin enjoys playing Cello. He also likes to travel and eat good food! He is also a part of F&M American Chemical Society Student Affiliates and Asian American Alliance.

Steph De Jesus

F&M '27

Major: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Minors: Latin American Studies

Hometown: Elizabethtown, PA

Outside the Lab: Steph likes to garden, crochet, and is an avid music listener! She's also involved with Mi Gente Latina and First Gen Dips here at F&M.

Tatyana Ulman

F&M '27

Major: Chemistry

Minor: Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Hometown: Mertztown, PA

Outside the Lab: Tatyana is part of the American Chemical Society Student Affiliates at F&M, the Alice Drum Women's Center, and is an EMT. She also enjoys reading and spending time with friends.

Sevval Cevik

F&M '28

Intended Majors: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Data Science

Hometown: Istanbul, Turkey

Outside the Lab: Sevval enjoys playing the violin. She works as a sports medicine assistant on campus. She also enjoys sailing, scuba diving, and traveling.

Former lab members

Abby Bachman F&M '26 [Summer 2024]
Zarine Gidwaney F&M '25 [Summer 2023-Spring 2025]; current position: PhD program in Chemistry, University of Minnesota
Sabrina Doria F&M '25 [Summer 2023-Spring 2024]; current position: camp nurse, Camp Horizons
Nina Nsereko F&M '24 [Summer 2022-Spring 2024]; current position: medical assistant
Sydney Sheetz F&M '24 [Summer 2022-Spring 2024]; current position: research technician at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Katie DeSimone F&M '23 [Summer 2021-Spring 2023]; current position: research chemist at Adesis
Lyla Naqvi F&M '23 [Summer 2021-Fall 2022]; current position: MD program at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine
David Broughton F&M '24 [Fall 2022]; current position: NIH postbaccalaureate researcher
Zoe Strachan F&M '24 [Summer 2022]
Nghia (Andy) Hoang F&M '23 [Summer 2021-Spring 2022]; current position: PhD program in Chemical Biology, Columbia (Gonzalez Group)
Hailan Yu F&M '22 [Summer 2021-Spring 2022]; current position: PhD program in Chemical Biology, Caltech (Hsieh-Wilson Group)
Vincent Pecora F&M '22 [Spring 2020-Summer 2020*]; current position: MD program at George Washington School of Medicine
Aryana Kavuri F&M '22 [Spring 2020-Summer 2020*]; current position: MD program at George Washington School of Medicine
Dzenis Alagic F&M '21 [Spring 2019-Spring 2021]; current position: DO program at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM); paramedic
Olivia Mautone F&M '21 [Spring 2019-Summer 2020*]; current position: PA program at St. John's University
Katherine (Kat) Campbell F&M '20 [Spring 2019-Summer 2019]; current position: Senior Associate at Heidrick & Struggles biopharma executive search, MBA student at Boston College Carroll School of Management
James Fahey F&M '20 [Spring 2019-Summer 2019]; current position: MD program at Loyola University

*Summer 2020 research canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Lab Group Pictures

Summer Research 2024

Summer Research 2023

Summer Research 2022

Summer Research 2021

Summer Research 2019

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