Team

Víctor Hugo Ramos Sánchez holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Sheffield, in the United Kingdom, and a bachelor’s degree in industrial chemistry from the Autonomous University of Chihuahua in Mexico. He was Visiting Professor at the University of California, San Diego, during his sabbatical in 2019, before he was appointed Tenured Professor in the Faculty of Chemical Sciences at the Autonomous University of Chihuahua from 2011 to 2022 and previously, he was Lecturer at the Polytechnic University of Chiapas from 2009 to 2011. Prof. Ramos Sánchez joined the Northern Arizona University in 2023 and is currently Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

Postdoctoral Fellows

The Post-Duck / TBD

This could be you, please inquiry about potential opportunities to join our Lab.

Graduate Students

Dominic Garcia / Ubiquitous Pollutants

My name is Dominic Garcia and I am in the Accelerated Masters program at Northern Arizona University. My major is Chemistry with an emphasis in Advanced Chemistry. My research involves air monitoring for Microplastics in indoor air using Raman Spectroscopy to analyze microplastic particles.

Christine Thompson / Ubiquitous Pollutants

Christine is currently an Accelerated Master's student at Northern Arizona University. She is studying Chemistry with an emphasis in Health Professions. She is working on a project focusing on developing methodology using TXRF to detect trace heavy metals concentrations in cannabis and cannabis derived products. 

Undergraduate Students

Johanna Bacayo / Forensics & Criminalistics, Electrochemical Systems

Johanna is in progress of completing their internship working with Total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) to analyze acetaminophen for trace metals as well as gun shot residues to create databases that will hopefully be of use in the field of forensics. Johanna is also a ¡MIRA! Scholar in a project involving 3D electrodes for water splitting: hydrothermal functionalization of copper foam.

Bailey Stalford / Ubiquitous Pollutants

Bailey Stalford is a junior majoring in Chemistry at Northern Arizona University with an emphasis in Forensics and Criminalistics. She currently works in Victor Ramos' Lab at NAU as an undergraduate research assistant. Her focus is on the use of TXRF in arsenic detection to aid in cannabis analysis.


Hannah Terpning / Green & Sustainable Chemistry

Hannah is an undergraduate student working on using total reflection x-ray fluorescence to determine arsenic content in food. She is also using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman Spectroscopy on carbohydrates to aid in developing a chemometrics method to determine the composition of milk powder.

Remote Students

Jesús Raúl Mata Morales / Sustainable Energy Processes

Jesús Raúl is a student in the process of obtaining his degree, who seeks to propose an experimental design to determine the most favorable conditions and parameters to produce biohydrogen through a microbial electrolysis cell (MEC).

Sergio Asahel Ochoa Casas / Electrochemical Systems

Sergio is working in the production of green hydrogen by alkaline water electrolysis switching the Oxygen Evolution Reaction for Sulfide Oxidation Reaction using 3D copper electrodes with decoration of copper sulfide using a hydrothermal process. Sergio as well interesting in continue with their studies in a electrochemical field and searching a Scholar in project in a project that involves electro synthesis of Urea.

Neyba Lorena Torres Armendariz / Green & Sustainable Chemistry

Neyba Lorena Torres Armendáriz is an Engineer in Food Industries and holds a Masters of Science in Food Science and Technology, she is currently PhD candidate at the Autonomous University of Chihuahua her area of research is chemometrics, she is developing a method to quantify carbohydrates and proteins using FTIR or Raman spectroscopy; to speed up the analyses carried out during the formulation and release stage of products in the dairy industry. 



Technical Staff / High School Students

Lab Fellow / TBD

This could be you, please inquiry about potential opportunities to join our Lab.

Past Members

Brayan Isidro Aguirre Ayala / Ubiquitous Pollutants

Brayan completed his professional internship at the Autonomous University of Chihuahua, developing the project: "Slim processing methodology for identification of microplastics and microrubbers". The project included extensive sampling collection and analysis using microscopy, spectroscopy and calorimetry.

Gabrielle Arambulo / Forensics & Criminalistics

Gaby completed her capstone internship at Northern Arizona University by taking a look at how surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) can be used as a nondestructive alternative to identifying fentanyl in forensics. The concept of this research was accomplished by performing SERS on acetaminophen and by simulating the Raman spectra of fentanyl through DFT calculations.

Jesús Elías Cantú Mancinas / Ubiquitous Pollutants

Jesus is an Environmental Engineer from the Technological University of the Tarahumara. He completed his professional internship for graduation at the Autonomous University of Chihuahua carrying out Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy on glyphosate.

Ana Isabel Casas Hidalgo / Green & Sustainable Chemistry

Ana is a Chemical Engineer from the Autonomous University of Chihuahua. She developed her thesis entitled "Exploitation of Pecan Nutshell to Obtain Palladium-Based Bimetallic Electrocatalysts" in our labs. She obtained her PhD in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom. Her studies were focused on the degradation of ceramic materials used as electrodes in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) and its prevention.

Rubén Alonso Chacón Carrera / Electrochemical Systems

Rubén holds a BSc in Chemistry from the Autonomous University of Chihuahua. He developed his thesis in our labs titled "Characterization of a Microbial Electrolysis Cell Using Wastewater as a Substrate". Subsequently, he completed his Master's Degree in Environmental Science and Technology at the Advanced Materials Research Center, under codirection of Prof. Ramos. 

Raúl Iván García Torresdey / Ubiquitous Pollutants

Raul completed his professional internship at the Autonomous University of Chihuahua, developing the project: "Assessment of the persistence of microplastics in the air of Chihuahua city". The project included extensive sampling collection and analysis using microscopy, spectroscopy and calorimetry.

María del Carmen Mancinas Islas / Ubiquitous Pollutants

Carmen is an Environmental Engineer from the Technological University of the Tarahumara. She completed her professional internship for graduation at the Autonomous University of Chihuahua developing standard operating protocols to process air and soil samples for microplastics assessment.


Raúl Antonio Márquez Montes / Electrochemical Systems

Raúl holds a BSc in Chemical Engineering and a MSc in Chemistry, both obtained with Suma Cum Laude from the Autonomous University of Chihuahua. His research on assessing and optimizing the electrooxidation of ammonium sulfite has resulted in multiple publications in highly respected international journals. He is currently PhD candidate at the University of Texas at Austin. He is particularly interested in electrochemical engineering and electrocatalytic materials for water splitting.

Kenya Isai Mora Domínguez / Materials for Energy

Kenya holds a BSc in Chemical Engineering and an MSc in Chemistry from the Autonomous University of Chihuahua. She developed research projects dealing with preparing materials for producing solar fuels, exploiting carbon dioxide as feedstock. 

Raul Eduardo Orozco Mena / Sustainable Energy Processes

Raúl has a PhD in Environmental Science and Technology from the Advanced Materials Research Center obtained under the co-direction of Prof. Ramos. He is a Master in Food Science and Technology and a Chemical Engineer from the Autonomous University of Chihuahua. He is now an Associate Professor at the Autonomous University of Chihuahua, where he focuses on developing methodologies for producing renewable energy and developing rapid analysis techniques through chemometric studies.

Miguel Omar Segovia Guzmán / Green & Sustainable Chemistry

Miguel is a Chemical Engineer from the Autonomous University of Chihuahua, where he carried out his thesis titled: “Microwave-Assisted Green Synthesis of Cu2O/TiO2 as a Photocatalyst for Hydrogen Production from Glycerol”. He holds a master of science in optics from the Center for Research in Optics. He is currently pursuing a PhD at the Max Born Institute in Berlin.

Oliver Soto Diaz / Materials for Energy

Oliver holds a BSc and a MSc in Chemistry from the Autonomous University of Chihuahua. His research explored green synthetic routes that use agro-industrial waste as feedstock to generate value-added products. He implemented the use of solar thermal energy in such valorization processes. Based on his work, we obtained a Mexican patent (MX/a/2019/012638): Method of In Situ Synthesis of Activated Carbon Doped with Luminescent Nanoparticles.

Former Technical Staff

Rosalía Corrales Bonilla

Education: BSc in Industrial Chemistry and MSc in Horticulture

Duties: Technical support for the operation of the TXRF for external service.

Period: 2018-2019

Cynthia Fontes Candia

Education: MSc in Food and Science Technology

Duties: Technical support for the operation of the HPLC and Spectrofluorimeter for research.

Period: 2016

Berlín Angélica Hernández Ramírez 

Education: BSc in Chemical Engineering

Duties: Assistanship for the logistics and operation of the physical chemistry teaching lab.

Period: 2019

Ever García Martínez 

Education: BSc in Chemical Engineering and MSc in Food and Science Technology

Duties: Technical support for the installation and operation of the GC-BID and in a project with aerospace industry.

Period: 2018

Johan Mendoza Chacón

Education: PhD in Sustainable Chemistry and MSc in Food and Science Technology

Duties: Technical support for DFT calculations and installation and operation of a supercomputing node for research.

Period: 2015-2016

Martín Ramos Ramírez

Education: BSc in Chemistry

Duties: Assistanship for the logistics and operation of the physical chemistry teaching lab.

Period: 2017

Larissa Rico Gallarza 

Education: BSc in Chemical Engineering

Duties: Support with logistics and operation of the teaching lab and operation of the TXRF for research.

Period: 2018-2019