B.S. Emory University, 2022 (Cheryl Maier)

Carys was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She received a B.S. degree in chemistry from Emory University and worked as an undergraduate researcher on COVID-19 research under Dr. Cheryl Maier in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. In her senior year, she defended her senior thesis on fibrinogen and clotting characterization in COVID patients. In 2022, Carys joined the Levin group due to her long-standing interest in synthetic modifications and their applications to pharmaceuticals. Outside the lab, she loves concerts, running to explore the city, and cooking.

carys [at] uchicago.edu

B.S. University of Rochester, 2022 (Alison Frontier)

Yahia was born, and mostly grew up in, Alexandria, Egypt. After briefly dabbling in medical school in Alexandria, he decided he’d rather pursue a degree in the U.S. instead, and came to the University of Rochester in New York. There, he completed a B.S. degree in chemistry while developing a carbo-Nazarov cascade reaction for the synthesis of polycyclic scaffolds with Prof. Alison Frontier. At UofR, he also cultivated a love for learning about reaction mechanism and a passion for teaching and is excited to continue improving on both fronts. When not doing chemistry, he enjoys reading Russian literature, working out, cooking, and baking croissants.

yahia [at] uchicago.edu

B.S. Korea University, 2020 (Hyo Jae Yoon)
M.S. Korea University, 2022 (Hyo Jae Yoon)

Dong Il comes from Seoul, South Korea, where he received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Chemistry from Korea University. There, he did research in various fields but ultimately found that his passion lies in organic methodology and reaction mechanism studies. After finishing his thesis on electroreductive reactions using imines in 2022, he moved to the U.S. and joined the Levin group to pursue his Ph.D. Outside the lab, Dong Il enjoys sports, chess, and sleep.

dipark [at] uchicago.edu

BA, MSci University of Cambridge (Professor Chris Abell)
PhD, University of Cambridge (Professor Robert Phipps)

Alex is from the UK and obtained his BA and MSci degrees from the University of Cambridge. During his MSci he studied fragment-based approaches to targeting tRNA methyltransferase D from Mycobacterium abscessus under the supervision of the late Professor Chris Abell. He then stayed on in Cambridge for his PhD which he obtained working in the group of Professor Robert J. Phipps. His doctoral thesis investigated the design and synthesis of new chiral rhodium tetracarboxylate catalysts to perform asymmetric nitrene transfer to C(sp3)–H bonds and alkenes. Following a short postdoctoral stay in the Phipps group he moved to Chicago to join the Levin laboratory in May 2023. Outside of the lab Alex enjoys playing football and reading.

afanourakis [at] uchicago.edu

B.S. Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, 2018
Ph.D. Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 2023 (Sungwoo Hong)

Myojeong was born and raised in Busan, Korea. She pursued her education in the field of basic sciences and earned her B.Sc. degree from DGIST in 2018. During her undergraduate program, she focused extensively on chemistry, cultivating a deep interest in the development of organic reactions. Her academic pursuits led her to Daejeon, where she joined the research group of Prof. Sungwoo Hong at the Department of Chemistry, KAIST, for her Ph.D. Myojeong’s doctoral thesis centers around visible-light-induced photochemical approaches to N-heterocycle functionalization and bioconjugation. After completing her Ph.D, Myojeong moved to Chicago in September to join the Levin group, driven by her current fascination with skeletal modifications of organic compounds. Outside of the lab, Myojeong enjoys playing badminton and relishing moments with friends over beers during her leisure time.

myokim [at] uchicago.edu

B.Sc/M.Sc Riga Technical Universirty (Maris Turks)
Ph.D. EPFL (Jerome Waser)

Born and raised in Riga, Latvia, Mikus went on to study chemical engineering in Riga Technical University with Maris Turks. There he worked on cationic rearrangements of propargyl silanes and reactions of sulphur dioxide. Mikus went on to do a PhD in Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne with Jerome Waser, where he worked on asymmetric Pd catalysis. Fascinated by the emerging research topics of Levin group, Mikus decided to move over the Atlantic for a postdoctoral stay. In future, he would like to explore new selectivity control paradigms in organic synthesis. In his spare time, Mikus enjoys hiking, snowboarding, Lindy hop, cooking, video games and podcasts.

purins [at] uchicago.edu

B.S.Chem University of Michigan, 2023 (Nicolai Lehnert)

Abby was born in Chicago and has lived in Muncie, Indiana and Grosse Pointe, Michigan. She completed her undergraduate work at the University of Michigan in 2023, where she joined Nicolai Lehnert’s group studying model complexes of FNOR enzymes. She was also an Amgen Scholar at UC Berkeley in Don Tilley’s group in the summer of 2022, where she studied metal-oxo species for water oxidation. Abby joined the Levin group as a graduate student in 2023. Outside of the lab, Abby enjoys traveling, crafting, and spending time with her cat.

ajbracken [at] uchicago.edu

B.S. University of Vermont, 2023 (Matthias Brewer)

Isabelle is from Burlington, Vermont, where she also completed her B.S. in chemistry at the University of Vermont. At UVM, she worked in Prof. Matthias Brewer’s lab where she worked on developing an asymmetric version of a conjugate addition of carbon nucleophiles to vinyl diazonium salts. Outside of lab, Isabelle enjoys reading, going to concerts, and exploring new coffee shops and restaurants.  

ipetrucci [at] uchicago.edu

B.S. Seoul National University (SNU), 2022 (Hong Geun Lee/Tae-Lim Choi)
Postbac, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), 2022-2023 (Sukbok Chang)

Bumsu was born and grew up in Seoul, Korea. He received his B.S. in chemistry from Seoul National University. During his undergraduate, he first worked in Prof. Hong Geun Lee’s group, studying the reactivity of indole derivatives. Then he joined Prof. Tae-Lim Choi’s group, expanding his interest toward cyclopolymerization. After earning his bachelor’s degree, he moved to IBS as a postbac in Prof. Sukbok Chang’s lab working on the metal-free decarboxylative amidation. Afterward, Bumsu joined the Levin group as a graduate student in 2023. Outside the lab, Bumsu enjoys singing his favorite songs and throwing home parties with his cooking.

bumsupark [at] uchicago.edu

B.S. University of Michigan, 2023 (David Sherman)

keramati [at] uchicago.edu

B.S. University of Rochester, 2024 (Alison Frontier)

aplawrie [at] uchicago.edu

B.A. Chemistry, Princeton University, 2024 (Robert R. Knowles)

Born and raised in Beijing, China, Songtao began his studies in the U.S. as a high school student in the town of Princeton N.J. where he subsequently pursed an undergraduate degree in chemistry. Working in the lab of Prof. Robert Knowles, he explored several projects with a focus on mechanistic study of intermolecular reductive C−H Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer reactions. After a summer intern with Prof. Levin working on N-deletion, he was enchanted by the synthetic possibilities of single-atom editing, and subsequently joined the lab as a graduate student to further pursue his interest in organic methodologies. Outside of lab, Songtao is an avid lover of anime and games, as well as photography and birding.

songtaol [at] uchicago.edu

B.A. Chemistry, Colby College, 2024 (Dasan Thamattor)

Alex was born in Terre Haute, IN and spent the formative years of his childhood moving across the continental U.S., highlighted by a four-year stint of gambling in Reno, NV and about a decade of living among the Amish in Pequea, PA. He completed his undergraduate studies at Colby College in Waterville, ME while working in the lab of Dr. Dasan M. Thamattoor, where he investigated the photochemical generation of reactive organic intermediates, such as carbenes and ketenes, from cyclopropanated phenanthrenes. In 2024, Alex joined the Levin lab in the hopes of finally directing his fascination with reactive intermediates towards a practical goal. When he’s not in lab, Alex enjoys expanding his repertoire on the piano, playing niche and often poorly received indie video games, and creating surreal video tributes to his old college professors.

adroth [at] uchicago.edu

B.S. University of Oviedo, 2019 (Pablo Barrio)
Ph.D. University of Oviedo, In Progress (Pablo Barrio)

rmiguelez [at] uchicago.edu