Principal Investigator
Dr. Hosea Nelson
Postdoc, UC Berkeley, 2015 (Prof. F. Dean Toste)
Ph.D., Caltech, 2012 (Prof. Brian M. Stoltz)
B.S., UC Berkeley, 2004
hosea[at]caltech.edu
Nickname: "El Jefe"
Hosea earned a B.S. in Chemistry from University of California at Berkeley in 2004 and a Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology in 2012 with Brian Stoltz. After postdoctoral training at University of California at Berkeley with Dean Toste, Hosea joined the UCLA faculty in 2015. He is an avid fisherman and motorsports enthusiast (there are even pictures of him on the web wearing a NASCAR hat). Like most native San Franciscans, he spends most of his time talking about how much he loves the Giants, hates the Dodgers, and how much better S.F. is than L.A.
Postdoc, UC Berkeley, 2015 (Prof. F. Dean Toste)
Ph.D., Caltech, 2012 (Prof. Brian M. Stoltz)
B.S., UC Berkeley, 2004
hosea[at]caltech.edu
Nickname: "El Jefe"
Hosea earned a B.S. in Chemistry from University of California at Berkeley in 2004 and a Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology in 2012 with Brian Stoltz. After postdoctoral training at University of California at Berkeley with Dean Toste, Hosea joined the UCLA faculty in 2015. He is an avid fisherman and motorsports enthusiast (there are even pictures of him on the web wearing a NASCAR hat). Like most native San Franciscans, he spends most of his time talking about how much he loves the Giants, hates the Dodgers, and how much better S.F. is than L.A.
Postdoctoral Scholars
Dr. Timothy Prisk
Ph.D., Indiana University Bloomington, 2014
B.S., University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2007
tprisk[at]caltech.edu
Timothy obtained a B.S. in physics and philosophy from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 2007. He completed his Ph.D. in physics at Indiana University in 2014 under the mentorship of Paul E. Sokol. Subsequently, Timothy received postdoctoral training at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and became a neutron instrument scientist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. In his free time, he pursues his love of the outdoors, the fine arts, and the not-so-fine arts of cult film and B-movies.
Ph.D., Indiana University Bloomington, 2014
B.S., University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2007
tprisk[at]caltech.edu
Timothy obtained a B.S. in physics and philosophy from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 2007. He completed his Ph.D. in physics at Indiana University in 2014 under the mentorship of Paul E. Sokol. Subsequently, Timothy received postdoctoral training at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and became a neutron instrument scientist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. In his free time, he pursues his love of the outdoors, the fine arts, and the not-so-fine arts of cult film and B-movies.
Graduate Students
Ben Wigman
B.S., UC Davis, 2017
bwwigman[at]caltech.edu
Nickname: "Methyl Wiggs"
G4
Ben was once an east coaster but is now a west coast dude. He received his B.S. in Chemistry at UC Davis in 2017 where he conducted research under prof. Annaliese Franz, probing Lewis acidity of popular catalysts and building allylsilane oligomers. Outside of lab he likes to bike, play the bass, and enjoy the view at the beach.
B.S., UC Davis, 2017
bwwigman[at]caltech.edu
Nickname: "Methyl Wiggs"
G4
Ben was once an east coaster but is now a west coast dude. He received his B.S. in Chemistry at UC Davis in 2017 where he conducted research under prof. Annaliese Franz, probing Lewis acidity of popular catalysts and building allylsilane oligomers. Outside of lab he likes to bike, play the bass, and enjoy the view at the beach.
Chris Jones
B.S., CSU East Bay, 2013
M.S., San Jose State University, 2017
cgjones[at]caltech.edu
G4
Chris was born and raised in Rochester, NY. After a short stint in the U.S. Navy, he moved to the Bay Area to pursue a B.S. in computer engineering at CSU East Bay. After spending too much time on the computer, he decided to pursue his M.S. in Chemical Engineering at San Jose State University while concurrently working at Sandia National Laboratories in the energy nanomaterials department. Chris is now here at UCLA pursuing his PhD in Chemistry and promises this will be the last time he changes his mind. His hobbies include working out and mixing gratuitous amounts of whey protein into any drink on hand.
B.S., CSU East Bay, 2013
M.S., San Jose State University, 2017
cgjones[at]caltech.edu
G4
Chris was born and raised in Rochester, NY. After a short stint in the U.S. Navy, he moved to the Bay Area to pursue a B.S. in computer engineering at CSU East Bay. After spending too much time on the computer, he decided to pursue his M.S. in Chemical Engineering at San Jose State University while concurrently working at Sandia National Laboratories in the energy nanomaterials department. Chris is now here at UCLA pursuing his PhD in Chemistry and promises this will be the last time he changes his mind. His hobbies include working out and mixing gratuitous amounts of whey protein into any drink on hand.
Jessica Burch
B.S., UT San Antonio, 2015
jburch[at]caltech.edu
Nickname: "High Res Jess"
G4
Jessica completed her B.S. at The University of Texas at San Antonio and performed research in the laboratory of Dr. Oleg Larionov. In the summer of '17, Jessica left the great land of Tex-Mex cuisine behind and began graduate school at UCLA. She avoids LA traffic by commuting via horse and uses "y'all" unironically.
B.S., UT San Antonio, 2015
jburch[at]caltech.edu
Nickname: "High Res Jess"
G4
Jessica completed her B.S. at The University of Texas at San Antonio and performed research in the laboratory of Dr. Oleg Larionov. In the summer of '17, Jessica left the great land of Tex-Mex cuisine behind and began graduate school at UCLA. She avoids LA traffic by commuting via horse and uses "y'all" unironically.
Lee Joon Kim
B.S., Harvey Mudd College, 2017
ljkim[at]caltech.edu
Nickname: "Legume/LJ"
G4
Lee Joon was born in South Korea and grew up in Irvine, California. She conducted research in total synthesis of natural products under Professor David Vosburg and completed her B.S. in Joint Major in Chemistry and Biology at Harvey Mudd College. Some of her hobbies include consuming 20 oz. cans of sugar-free Red Bull, showcasing her collection of long jackets and turtlenecks, and feeding in video games.
B.S., Harvey Mudd College, 2017
ljkim[at]caltech.edu
Nickname: "Legume/LJ"
G4
Lee Joon was born in South Korea and grew up in Irvine, California. She conducted research in total synthesis of natural products under Professor David Vosburg and completed her B.S. in Joint Major in Chemistry and Biology at Harvey Mudd College. Some of her hobbies include consuming 20 oz. cans of sugar-free Red Bull, showcasing her collection of long jackets and turtlenecks, and feeding in video games.
Sepand Nistanaki
B.S., UC Berkeley, 2016
snistana[at]caltech.edu
Nickname: "Frosty"
G4
Sepand was born in Neuchatel, Switzerland and raised in Irvine, California. He earned his B.S. in Chemistry at UC Berkeley, where he conducted research under Professor Christopher Chang. In 2017 he moved back down to Southern California to attend UCLA and begin working in the Nelson lab. Some of Sepand's hobbies include coffee brewing and tasting, advocating for Peaky Blinders as the best show ever, recommending yogurt soda to his lab mates, and calling his mother.
B.S., UC Berkeley, 2016
snistana[at]caltech.edu
Nickname: "Frosty"
G4
Sepand was born in Neuchatel, Switzerland and raised in Irvine, California. He earned his B.S. in Chemistry at UC Berkeley, where he conducted research under Professor Christopher Chang. In 2017 he moved back down to Southern California to attend UCLA and begin working in the Nelson lab. Some of Sepand's hobbies include coffee brewing and tasting, advocating for Peaky Blinders as the best show ever, recommending yogurt soda to his lab mates, and calling his mother.
Chloe Williams
B.S., DePaul University, 2018
cgwillia[at]caltech.edu
Nickname: "E.P."
G3
Chloe was born and raised in Valparaiso, Indiana. She graduated from DePaul University in 2018 where she conducted research with Professor Paul Vadola working on gold(I)-mediated cyclization reactions. Despite her love for Chicago, she decided to leave the Midwest winters behind and come to California. Chloe enjoys going to the beach, running around LA, and jamming to Stasik’s music in lab.
B.S., DePaul University, 2018
cgwillia[at]caltech.edu
Nickname: "E.P."
G3
Chloe was born and raised in Valparaiso, Indiana. She graduated from DePaul University in 2018 where she conducted research with Professor Paul Vadola working on gold(I)-mediated cyclization reactions. Despite her love for Chicago, she decided to leave the Midwest winters behind and come to California. Chloe enjoys going to the beach, running around LA, and jamming to Stasik’s music in lab.
Woojin Lee
B.S., UC Berkeley, 2016
wlee7[at]caltech.edu
G3
Woojin was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea. After he finished his mandatory military service, he started studying abroad in the United States. He attended a community college in Kansas and transferred to UC Berkeley, where he obtained a B.S degree in chemistry and also worked on the deoxydehydration/hydrogenation of sugar acids under the guidance of Professor F. Dean Toste. Outside of lab, he likes to learn stock trading, watch Youtube videos, and ride a bike on Santa Monica beach.
B.S., UC Berkeley, 2016
wlee7[at]caltech.edu
G3
Woojin was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea. After he finished his mandatory military service, he started studying abroad in the United States. He attended a community college in Kansas and transferred to UC Berkeley, where he obtained a B.S degree in chemistry and also worked on the deoxydehydration/hydrogenation of sugar acids under the guidance of Professor F. Dean Toste. Outside of lab, he likes to learn stock trading, watch Youtube videos, and ride a bike on Santa Monica beach.
Zhenqi Zhao
B.S., Peking University, 2019
zzhao2[at]caltech.edu
Nickname: "Steven/Steve-o"
G2
Steven was born and grew up in Changchun, a city in Northeast China. Later he moved to Beijing and earned his B.S. in Chemical Biology at Peking University, where he conducted research on metabolic labeling of non-natural sugars in Professor Xing Chen’s group. Despite living in the cold north since his birth, he decided to make a change and come to sun-soaked SoCal. He loves going to the beach, hiking, and having authentic Chinese food in LA.
B.S., Peking University, 2019
zzhao2[at]caltech.edu
Nickname: "Steven/Steve-o"
G2
Steven was born and grew up in Changchun, a city in Northeast China. Later he moved to Beijing and earned his B.S. in Chemical Biology at Peking University, where he conducted research on metabolic labeling of non-natural sugars in Professor Xing Chen’s group. Despite living in the cold north since his birth, he decided to make a change and come to sun-soaked SoCal. He loves going to the beach, hiking, and having authentic Chinese food in LA.
Lexie Beard
B.S., Baylor University, 2019
abeard[at]caltech.edu
G2
Lexie was born and raised in Ankeny, Iowa. She left the land of geodes and presidential candidates to study biochemistry at Baylor University, where she worked on total synthesis in the lab of Dr. John L. Wood. Some of her hobbies include playing with cats, drinking wine, and watching movies with friends.
B.S., Baylor University, 2019
abeard[at]caltech.edu
G2
Lexie was born and raised in Ankeny, Iowa. She left the land of geodes and presidential candidates to study biochemistry at Baylor University, where she worked on total synthesis in the lab of Dr. John L. Wood. Some of her hobbies include playing with cats, drinking wine, and watching movies with friends.
Abi Nelson
Official Nelson Lab dog
B.S., UC Bark-ley
Nickname: "Ab Initio"
Abi joined the Nelson Lab in June, 2018 at only 4 months old. She is a loyal friend and companion of the Nelson Lab members, and also enjoys learning about chemistry too. In her free time she loves napping, playing with grad students, and taking long walks from Molecular Sciences Building to Ackerman Union.
Follow her on instagram @abi.nelsonlab
Official Nelson Lab dog
B.S., UC Bark-ley
Nickname: "Ab Initio"
Abi joined the Nelson Lab in June, 2018 at only 4 months old. She is a loyal friend and companion of the Nelson Lab members, and also enjoys learning about chemistry too. In her free time she loves napping, playing with grad students, and taking long walks from Molecular Sciences Building to Ackerman Union.
Follow her on instagram @abi.nelsonlab
Rotation Students
Camila Suarez
B.S., Emory University, 2021
csuarez[at]caltech.edu
G1
Camila was born in Lima, Peru and grew up in Buford, Georgia. She completed a B.S. in chemistry at Emory University and conducted undergraduate research in Professor Huw Davies’ laboratory on total synthesis and studying the effectiveness of diazo coupling partners for C-H functionalization. Outside of lab, she enjoys hanging out with friends and exploring LA area food spots.
B.S., Emory University, 2021
csuarez[at]caltech.edu
G1
Camila was born in Lima, Peru and grew up in Buford, Georgia. She completed a B.S. in chemistry at Emory University and conducted undergraduate research in Professor Huw Davies’ laboratory on total synthesis and studying the effectiveness of diazo coupling partners for C-H functionalization. Outside of lab, she enjoys hanging out with friends and exploring LA area food spots.
Josh Signore
B.A./M.A., Wesleyan University, 2021
jsignore[at]caltech.edu
G1
Josh earned a B.A. and M.A. in chemistry from Wesleyan University and studied small exotic molecules via microwave spectroscopy under the supervision of Stewart E. Novick. Josh left Connecticut to escape the humidity and bask in sunny Southern California. Outside of the lab, he enjoys running, hiking, and playing the piano, especially Chopin.
B.A./M.A., Wesleyan University, 2021
jsignore[at]caltech.edu
G1
Josh earned a B.A. and M.A. in chemistry from Wesleyan University and studied small exotic molecules via microwave spectroscopy under the supervision of Stewart E. Novick. Josh left Connecticut to escape the humidity and bask in sunny Southern California. Outside of the lab, he enjoys running, hiking, and playing the piano, especially Chopin.
