Cherry Blossoms @ UW Quad, April 2025
“But not just about me. It has to be about the boat” -The Boys in the Boat
Brian Sun
SIXTH Year graduate student
bsun3_at_uw_dot_edu
Brian was originally from Harbin, China and later moved to Eugene, Oregon. In Oregon, he worked on synthesizing cycloparaphenylene derivatives with Prof. Ramesh Jasti and obtained his bachelor’s degree in chemistry at University of Oregon. In the meantime, Brian took leadership roles in various student groups, most notably as the President of U R AWESOME Club. He worked to advocate for international students in the university while serving as the representative of physical science students in the student government. He is currently pursuing his PhD in Chemistry in the Golder Lab. When not doing chemistry, Brian likes to cook, road trip and make people laugh.
Matt Elardo
FIFTH Year Graduate Student
melardo_at_uw_dot_EDU
NSF GRFP FELLOW 2023 – 26
Matt was born and raised in Morehead City, NC. He attended the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, earning a B.S. in biology and a B.A. in chemistry. His undergraduate research, under the guidance of Professor Markus Etzkorn, targeted the synthesis of a library of functionalized isoindenones and their respective dimers, with potential applications in magnetic materials. Outside of the lab, Matt enjoys hiking, rock climbing, and watching the Buffalo Bills!
Morgan Skala
FIFTH Year Graduate Student
mskala_at_uw_dot_EDU
CEI Graduate FELLOW 2023-24
Morgan grew up in Jacksonville, FL before moving to Tallahassee, FL for school. At Florida State University she earned her B.S. in chemistry and conducted research with the Alabugin group on the synthesis of novel graphene nanoribbons through double peri-annulations. She spent her gap year in Golden, CO at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory working on upcycling plastic waste and recycling of plastics through photoredox catalysis. Her time at NREL led her to pursue polymer chemistry with a focus in sustainability for her PhD. In her free time, Morgan likes to go to concerts, discover new coffee shops, and hike the PNW.
Lucy Miller
THIRD Year Graduate Student
lpmiller_at_uw_dot_EDU
CEI Graduate FELLOW 2024-25
NSF GRFP FELLOW 2025 – 28
Lucy was born in Port Townsend, Washington and grew up in Portland, Oregon. She moved to the Philadelphia area for her undergraduate degree at Bryn Mawr College where she majored in chemistry. While at Bryn Mawr, she worked in Dr. Patrick Melvin’s laboratory studying the deoxyfluorination of phosphinic acids. She also spent a summer as a process chemistry intern at Seagen where she worked on developing high throughput screening methods. Her interest in organic chemistry research led her to attend UW for her PhD! Outside of chemistry, Lucy loves hiking and backpacking in the Washington mountains, taking dance classes, and reading.
Nick Serck
THIRD Year Graduate Student
npserck_at_uw_dot_EDU
NSF GRFP FELLOW 2025 – 28
Nick grew up in Norwalk, Iowa, a small town just outside of Des Moines. He attended Iowa State University where he majored in Chemistry with a minor in Animal Ecology. Nick did undergraduate research under Dr. Junqi Li where he worked on synthesizing substrates for the enantioselective synthesis of planar chiral macrocycles. He also served as a leader within the Chemistry Learning Community, Iowa State’s Chemistry outreach club (SCUM), and the Iowa State Honors Program. When not in the lab, Nick enjoys being outdoors, playing board games, and traveling.
Danica Ye
THIRD Year Graduate Student
qyye_at_uw_dot_EDU
Danica was born and raised in Beijing, China, and later moved to north California for her bachelor’s degree at UC Davis majoring in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and a minor study in statistics. During her undergrad study, she joined Professor Annaliese Franz’s group working on remote research and drug design. Outside of chemistry, she was an active member of UC Davis fencing team. She’s also a big fan of skiing, skateboarding, snowboarding, badminton, and baking. In addition to English and Chinese, Japanese is her third language. Now she’s pursuing her PhD degree in organic chemistry.
Adelle Koenig
SECOND Year Graduate Student
koeniga4_at_uw_dot_EDU
NSF GRFP FELLOW 2025 – 28
Adelle grew up in Seattle, Washington, and attended Western Washington University to earn a B.S. in chemistry and a minor in music. Her undergraduate research with Dr. Mike Larsen focused on the synthesis and rheological study of guanidine-based covalent adaptable networks. During this time, Adelle also performed in the Western Symphony Orchestra and worked as a peer tutor. Outside of chemistry, she spends her time running around Seattle’s trails, reading, drawing, and enjoying music.
jason kaff
SECOND Year Graduate Student
jkaff_at_uw_dot_EDU
Jason was born and raised in Bel Air, MD, half an hour east of Baltimore. He attended the University of Maryland, College Park where he earned a B.S. in chemistry and a B.S. in microbiology. He conducted his undergraduate research under the supervision of Dr. Mercedes Taylor, where he synthesized polymerizable metal–organic cages for the capture of rare earth metals. Jason is a big fan of the Baltimore Ravens and Washington Wizards, and patiently awaits the NBA’s return to Seattle. He also enjoys attending concerts, thrifting, playing the piano, and collecting trinkets.
NAHUEL Coronel
undergraduate (uw ’27)
nahuelc3_at_uw_dot_edu
Nahuel is an undergraduate student originally from Redmond, WA pursuing a B.S. in chemistry. At the Golder Lab, he is investigating the synthesis and properties of cyclic polymers to gain research experience, and hopes to pursue a PhD in chemistry after his undergraduate studies. Outside the lab, Nahuel enjoys analog photography, movies, cooking, and hiking.
Kieran Lyons
undergraduate (uw ’26)
klyons2_at_uw_dot_edu
Kieran is an undergraduate student from the sunny coast of Southern California. He is pursuing a BS in Chemistry and a BA in Mathematics. In the future, he aims to attain a PhD in chemistry. He joined the Golder Lab to gain experience with polymers and synthesis as well as to learn about new chemistry research. Outside of the lab, Kieran is an active member of the UW sailing team. He also enjoys playing musical instruments, video games, and spending time outdoors.
RALF
POST-DOG
Ralf is an Australian Labradoodle who came to Seattle by way of Boston. He has virtually no chemistry experience whatsoever and currently enjoys chewing on nearly everything, making it difficult for him to get any lab work done. Ralf has indicated that if given the opportunity, he would like to work on epawxide (is that how you spell it?) polymerizations. For now, he enjoys going on walks, rolling in the grass, and finding good sticks.