Principal Investigator

Dartmouth College, A.B., 2004 (Advisor: Peter Jacobi)

University of California, Berkeley, Ph.D., 2009 (Advisors: Robert Bergman and Dean Toste)

ETH Zürich, Postdoctoral researcher, 2009-2011 (Advisor: François Diederich) 

Stanford Univresity, Postdoctoral researcher 2012-2014 (Advisor: Zhenan Bao)

Melanie hails from San Diego, CA and her favorite functional group is the alkene. Outside of the lab, Melanie is usually on a bicycle or in a practice room with her violin. 

melchiu at msu dot edu

Ph. D. Student (entering class of 2022)

Sam Houston State University, B.S., 2022 (Advisor: Meghan Hinze)

Parker grew near the beaches in Corpus Christi, Texas. She enjoys learning new techniques and figuring out interesting mechanisms. She also loves reading fantasy books, playing Dungeons and Dragons and Legend of Zelda games, and various different textile crafts. 

benne703 at msu dot edu

Ph. D. Student (entering class of 2024)

Biography forthcoming. 

Ph. D. Student (entering class of 2024)

Michigan State University, B.S., 2024

Alex is from Evansville, Indiana.

bakkeale at msu dot edu

Post-Doctoral Researcher (entering class of 2025)

Guru Nanak Khalsa College, Yamunanagar, B. Sc., 2009

Gurukula Kangri Vishwavidyalaya, Haridwar, M.Sc., 2011

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali, PhD, 2022 (Advisor: Dr. Sugumar Venkataramani)

Institute of Nano Science and Technology, Mohali, Research Associate, 2023 (Advisor: Prof. Kamalakannan Kailasam)

Pravesh Kumar is a native of Uttar Pradesh, India. He enjoys synthesizing polymers, folding them into single-chain polymeric nanoparticles for catalytic applications, and investigating polymerization mechanisms. Outside the lab, he finds peace and love in nature and enjoys exploring new places and cultures.

kumarp16 at msu dot edu

Post-Doctoral Researcher (entering class of 2025)

Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kerala, M.Sc., 2015

Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, Tamil Nadu, PhD, 2022 (Advisor: Prof. K. Ramanujam)

Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Postdoctoral researcher, 2022-2024 (Advisor: Prof. Jayaraman Sivaguru)

Divya is from Kerala, India. She is currently working on the synthesis of photo switchable ligands for various applications. Outside of science, Divya enjoys gardening, cooking and reading.

unnydiv1 at msu dot edu

Undergraduate student (entering class of 2022)

Michigan State University, B.S., B.A., 2026

Kristen grew up in Waterford, Michigan. She has a love for teaching general chemistry at MSU and enjoys connecting the dots between the human body and organic chemistry. Her hobbies include traveling, working out, and skiing! 

dannakri at msu dot edu

Undergraduate student (entering class of 2024)

Michigan State University, B.S., 2028

Joey was born and raised in Aurora, Illinois and is currently studying chemistry in his undergraduate education. He loves learning about organic mechanisms, syntheses, proteomics, and food science. Outside of science, Joey enjoys playing tabletop and video games, cooking, photography, hockey, and learning Spanish.

parasjos at msu dot edu

Agent of Entropy (reports to Prof. Chiu)

Gleeful shredder of puppy kindergaten/obedience school certificates. 

Emmy is an avid chaser of frisbees and fullerene-shaped balls. She is also a faithful co-conspirator in all procrastination efforts.

Her Royal Highness (Reports to Parker)

A being of constant anxiety. She relishes the power to immobilize entire beings by simply laying on them.  

Actual Goblin Creature (Reports to Parker)

This small black void cares only for the actions necessary for her to obtain french fries even if that means moving the hands stopping her herself.  

M.S. (Defended June, 2025)

Lyon College, B.S., B.A., 2023 (Advisors: Irosha Nawarathne and Tharanga Wijetunge)

Michigan State University, M.S., 2025 (Advisor: Dr. Melanie Chiu)

Nikkolette is a native to the rolling hills of Jonesboro, Arkansas. They have found a particular love of synthesizing polymers and finding the mechanism of polymerizations. They love to crochet blankets, dye their hair fun colors, play a variety of board games, and write poetry in their free time.

Undergraduate student (Class of 2026)

University of Nevada, Reno, B.S., 2026

Fabiola grew up in Nevada, roughly an hour away from Lake Tahoe. She is part of the NIH-funded MARC (Maximizing Access to Research Careers) Program. She enjoys learning how chemical reactions work, spectroscopy, and analytical techniques. Her hobbies include painting, reading fantasy books, listening to new genres of music, and more.