Zuxiao Zhang

Tiancen Bian

Tiancen Bian was born in Jiangsu Province, China and obtained his B.S and M.S in 2017 and 2020 respectively from Nanjing Forestry University under the supervision of Prof. Shifa Wang. After graduation, he worked as an organic chemist in WuXi AppTech Co., Ltd from 2020 to 2022, after which he moved to Zhang’s Lab at the Zhejiang Normal University to work as a research assistant. In January 2024, he joined Zhang’s group at the University of Hawaii at Manoa as a PhD student.

Jon Scattolon

Jon Scattolon, born and raised in Grimsby, Ontario, Canada, has a wealth of experience in chemistry research and teaching. Currently a TA at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, this is the third institution where he has held a TA position. During his M.Sc., Jon was awarded a scholarship/fellowship for his research contributions, which included synthesizing hundreds of grams of material under the guidance of Dr. Hudlicky. His expertise lies in large-scale semi-synthetic routes, where he played a pivotal role in producing starting materials for graduate students. His work diverged into the formation of epoxides and aziridines, contributing to several publications. With his immediate goal set on completing his PhD, Jon plans to pursue a postdoctoral position to further his research career. 

Ethan Lu

Ethan Lu was born in the sunny city of Sacramento, California, and obtained his B.S. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the University of California, Davis in spring 2025. He worked in a couple different labs with different specialities, most notably Dr. Rong-Jie Chein and Dr. Kit Lam who worked in organic synthesis and pharmaceutical chemistry respectively. His interests are primarily in synthetic chemistry and the total synthesis of natural products. In October 2025, he joined Prof. Zhang's group at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa in pursuit of his PhD in organic chemistry. 

Mohamad Rashid 

Mohamad Rashid was born in Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, and spent much of his childhood in Palestine before returning to Hawaiʻi. He is currently pursuing a B.S. in Biochemistry at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. In the summer of 2025, Mohamad joined Prof. Zhang’s research group, where he is gaining experience in organic synthesis and becoming more involved in chemistry research. He also works as a teaching assistant at UH Mānoa. After completing his undergraduate degree, Mohamad plans to attend medical school and hopes to use his background in chemistry and research in his future career in medicine. 

Kiet Dinh

My name is Kiet Dinh, I am an international student from Vietnam. I am studying B.S Biochemistry and this is my last year at UH. This is the first time I attend a research lab. Therefore, so far I have learned to set up multiple experiments. This is a wonderful opportunity for me to have hands-on experience, and so far I can see that the "real lab" is very different from the teaching lab that I learned before. I am planning to go to medical school after graduation. During my free time I like to play badminton. 

Gabriel Taira

Gabriel Taira was born and raised in Aiea, Hawai'i. Currently pursuing his B.S. in Biochemistry, he hopes to obtain his M.S. in Chemistry from UHM. Gabriel joined the Zhang lab during the summer of 2026 to further develop synthetic and technical knowledge of organic chemistry methods.  

Kyla Estrella

Kyla Estrella grew up in Mililani, Hawaiʻi, and is pursuing a B.S. in Chemistry. She hopes to attend graduate school to explore her interests in women’s health. She joined the lab in Fall 2026 and enjoys developing her technical laboratory skills and gaining hands-on research experience. Outside of the lab, she enjoys crocheting, practicing yoga, and running. 

Yi Liu