PI
Contact Information
Administrative Assistant: Annette Luymes Email: aluymes[at]caltech.edu |
Hosea M. Nelson
Professor of Chemistry
Postdoc, UC Berkeley, 2015 (Prof. F. Dean Toste) Ph.D., Caltech, 2013 (Prof. Brian M. Stoltz) B.S., UC Berkeley, 2004 Email: hosea[at]caltech.edu Office: 357 Crellin Laboratory Phone: 626-395-6072 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 2013 with Brian Stoltz. After postdoctoral training at University of California at Berkeley with Dean Toste, Hosea joined the UCLA faculty in 2015. In 2021, Hosea became a Professor of Chemistry at the California Institute of Technology. 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. |
Graduate Students
Sam Johnson
B.S., University of Connecticut M.S., University of Connecticut Email: sjohnso2[at]caltech.edu G2 Research Project: Structural Chemistry Sam was sadly not born, but raised in the best state of New England, Maine! Spending most of his childhood running unsupervised through the woods of Maine collecting rocks and plants, he eventually developed a crippling addiction for science and exploration. Attending the University of Connecticut, Sam pursued a M.S./B.S. in chemistry studying magnetic field effects on long-lived radical pairs in organic constructs under the guidance of Dr. Tomoyasu Mani. After experiencing 22 years of northeasterners, Sam escaped New England in search of better weather in SoCal. When Sam is not running around like a lunatic he enjoys spending time in nature, going to concerts, and exploring the secret gems of LA. |
Abi Nelson
Official Nelson Lab dog B.S., UC Bark-ley 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 Crellin to the Beckman Institute. Follow her on Instagram @abi.nelsonlab |
Postdocs
Dr. David Delgadillo
Ph.D., University of California Santa Cruz B.S., University of California Merced Email: ddelgadi[at]caltech.edu Research Project: Structural Chemistry Thesis Title: Cheminformatic Approaches to Decipher Natural Product-Target-Disease Associations David was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. After dabbling in the bustling city life, he decided to pursue a degree in Human Biology at UC Merced. While at Merced, he worked on non-innocent ligand synthesis under Prof. Ryan Baxter. He went on to obtain his Ph.D in Chemistry at UC Santa Cruz under prof. John MacMillan studying marine bacteria-derived bioactive natural products. Outside of the lab, David enjoys being one with nature and tinkering with random hobbies. |
Dr. Kunal Jha
Ph.D., Shiv Nadar University, 2017 M.S., Jamia Hamdard University, 2012 B.S., University of Delhi, 2009 Email: kunaljha[at]caltech.edu Research Project: Structural Chemistry Thesis Title: Systematic Investigation of Polymorphism, Photodimerization and Charge-Transfer Mechanism in Organic Optical Materials: Probing Structure-Property Relationships Kunal was born and raised in Bihar, India. He went to the University of Delhi to pursue his BSc in Industrial Chemistry. He received his master’s degree in Organic Chemistry from Jamia Hamdard University, Delhi. He went on to obtain his PhD degree from Shiv Nadar University, India, where he broadly worked on generation of non-centrosymmetric polymorphs of organic push-pull chromophores for their optical properties. He went on to do his first post-doc in electron density modelling group under Prof. Paulina M. Dominiak at the University of Warsaw, Poland. His research focuses on improving structural model of SC-XRD and micro-ED data by applying quantum crystallographic methods. He believes in multi-disciplinary research and never shy of learning new methods and techniques. He enjoys cooking and listening to classical music in his leisure time. |
Dr. Kevin Martin
Ph.D., Montpellier University, 2022 Pharm.D., Montpellier University, 2018 M.Sc., Montpellier University, 2018 Email: keloil[at]caltech.edu Research Project: Structural Chemistry Thesis Title: Structural characterization of the cap-binding complex (CBC) with innovative molecules of pharmaceutical interest by cryogenic-electron microscopy Kevin was born and raised in south of France. He obtained his Pharm.D. at Montpellier University, France, in 2018, where he specialized in pharmaceutical research through different internship, in academic labs and private companies. In 2019, he started a Ph.D. between the center of structural biology and Abivax pharmaceuticals in Montpellier, France. He conducted research under the supervision of Pr J. Tazi and Dr. P. Bron, where he aimed to understand the interaction between an original molecule developed by the company and its target by cryogenic-electron microscopy. On his free time, Kevin enjoys playing music, hiking, working out and discovering new wonderful places in Southern California. |
Dr. Yan Liu
Ph.D., University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2023 B.S., Shanxi University, 2017 Email: yanliu23[at]caltech.edu Research Project: Biocatalysis Thesis Title: Artificial directed evolution of hydratase Yan was born and raised in Shanxi, China, and obtained her B.S. degree from Shanxi University. In 2017, she came to Beijing to start a Ph.D. at the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Under the supervision of Professor Hailin Wang, she conducted research on the artificially evolved super binder for specific recognition of N6-methyladenine base modification in DNA and RNA. Outside the lab, she enjoys swimming, using adobe illustrator to draw scientific illustrations, and exploring interesting places in California. |
Dr. Rui Guo
Ph.D., Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, 2020 B.S., Sichuan University, 2014 Email: rayguo[at]caltech.edu Research Project: Biocatalysis Thesis Title: The synthetic studies towards C20-diterpenoid alkaloids and monoterpenoid indole alkaloids Rui was born and raised in Wuhan, China. He obtained his Ph.D. degree in 2020 at the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry under the supervision of Professor Ang Li, where he received training in organic synthesis. Outside of the lab, Rui enjoys taking walks around the area where he lives. During holidays, he also likes to visit various famous parks and museums. |
Dr. Jianhua Wei
Ph.D., Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 2022 B.S., Tianjin University, 2016 Email: jhwei[at]caltech.edu Research Project: Biocatalysis Thesis Title: Catalytic mechanism of dimeric carbamoyltransferases in the biosynthesis of ansamycins Jianhua was born and raised in Zhejiang, China. He obtained his Ph.D. degree in 2022 at Shanghai Jiao Tong University under the supervision of Professor Linqian Bai, where he studied catalytic mechanism of ansamycins carbamoyltransferase and metabolic engineering of natural products. Outside the lab, Jianhua enjoys running, exploring new restaurants, and visiting interesting places. |
Staff Scientist
Dr. Dmitry Eremin
Ph.D., Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, 2019 M.Sc., Moscow State University, 2014 Email: eremin[at]caltech.edu Research Project: Structural Chemistry Thesis Title: The Key Role of Metal-Ligand Bond Lability in the Formation of Active Centers in Palladium-Catalyzed Reactions Dmitry was born and raised in Moscow, Russia, where city streets speak of art and history. He obtained his M.Sc. degree in chemistry from Moscow State University in 2014. It was during this time when Dmitry developed his passion for mass spectrometry and joined the laboratory of Prof. Valentine Ananikov at the Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry. After obtaining a dual Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry and Catalysis in 2019, he chased the American dream and moved to Hollywood as an inaugural Agilent Postdoctoral Fellow in the group of Prof. Valery Fokin at the University of Southern California. There, he got his feet wet with on-water chemistry. As a believer in new technology, Dmitry followed the 110 freeway north and joined the Nelson Lab to work on next-generation automation and data science for microED. Outside the lab, Dmitry collects minerals and enjoys the diverse nature of California, from the waves of the Pacific Coast to the summit of Mammoth Mountain. |
Rotation Students
Vida Storm Robertson
M.S., Fisk University B.S., Texas A&M University-Commerce Email: vroberts[at]caltech.edu Vida Storm was born in Oxford, Ohio and raised in Houston, Texas. He earned his B.S. in Biological Sciences from Texas A&M University-Commerce while working on an organic synthesis pathway for a rare lactam in the Allan D. Headley Lab. During his M.S. in Chemistry at Fisk University, Vida Storm worked on protein structure analysis using X-ray scattering in the Damo Lab. Outside of lab, Vida Storm enjoys reading, lifting, watching college football, and cooking. |
Victoria Casimir Montán
B.S., University of Puerto Rico, 2024 Email: vcasimir[at]caltech.edu Victoria was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She earned a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Puerto Rico, where she conducted research focused on discovering new natural products and bioactivities from marine organisms in Professor Eduardo Caro’s group. When she's not in the lab, Victoria enjoys exploring new places, trying different foods, and playing tennis. |
SURF Students
Theo Bremner
Email: tbremner[at]caltech.edu Theo was born in small-town Minnesota and grew up moving around the globe. He is a summer undergraduate researcher in the Nelson Lab, and studies chemistry at the College of William & Mary during the school year. He currently researches mechanochemistry under Prof. Isaiah Speight and in his free time enjoys science fiction of all kinds, playing Dungeons & Dragons with friends, and spending time with family. |
Grace Perna
Email: gperna[at]caltech.edu Grace was born and raised in upstate New York and is currently pursuing a bachelor’s of science in biotechnology from Rochester Institute of Technology. While most of her undergraduate career has been spent playing with bacteria, Grace is now exploring her interests in organic chemistry and biocatalysis. Outside of the lab she enjoys thrifting random trinkets, painting, and exploring as much of SoCal as possible before the summer ends! |
Hongyu Zhang
Email: hzhang7[at]caltech.edu Hongyu was born in Shanxi, China. He is finishing up his B.S. in physics from Caltech in December 2024, and currently working in condensed matter theory. He is also working with Dr. Dmitry Eremin on a microED database. When not working, he is usually doing some weird things. |