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| at the lab | … and above the bay |
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| at the beach with the JArnold group | Fort Bragg camping |
| Postdoctoral Researchers Dr. Elias Tanuhadi PhD  elias.tanuhadi@berkeley.edu Elias originally hails from Vienna, Austria, where he completed his PhD studies on the synthesis and characterization of new metal-oxo clusters as homogeneous catalysts in the lab of Prof. Annette Rompel. To broaden his synthetic and cultural horizons, Elias came to Berkeley to join Prof. Polly Arnold’s group as a post-doctoral researcher, focusing on the rich speciation chemistry, stability, and reactivity of rare earth alkyl complexes. Outside of the lab, Elias loves to explore California’s diverse nature and embarks on culinary adventures in Berkeley on his Heelys. Dr. Mike Joerges PhD  mike.joerges@berkeley.edu Mike grew up in Germany, where he completed his PhD in inorganic chemistry at Ruhr University Bochum with Prof. Viktoria Däschlein-Gessner. During his doctoral studies, he explored the design and reactivity of phosphorus-ylide and yldiide ligands, pioneering their use to form ketenyl anions and other low-valent main-group compounds. Supported by a Feodor Lynen Fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, he joined Prof. Polly Arnold’s group at UC Berkeley to dive into the coordination chemistry of lanthanide and actinide complexes, aiming to access rare oxidation states and study their potential in quantum information science. Outside the lab, Mike enjoys surfskating, motorcycling, skiing, and exploring California’s coastline in search of great coffee and ocean views. Dr. Carlo Andrea Mattei PhD  carloandrea.mattei@berkeley.edu Carlo Andrea is a Marie Curie fellow who has joined the lab to work at the intersection between synthetic chemistry and magnetism. After living in a few different countries, he’s picked up a love for exploring new places, and California was still missing in the list! When he’s not working with molecules, you’ll probably find him on a trail run or hitting a few tennis balls. Graduate Students Gretchen Brown  gretchen.brown@berkeley.edu Originally from New Jersey, Gretchen received her undergraduate degree in chemistry and women and gender studies from Boston College in May of 2021. As an undergraduate, she studied iron-catalyzed N-carboxyanhydride polymerization with Prof. Jeffery Byers. She currently works on C-H/C-element activation with cerium complexes. Outside of the lab, she enjoys reading, baking, and trying new arts and crafts. David Fiszbein  david_fiszbein@berkeley.edu David was born in New Mexico before moving to Ithaca, New York to be cold and study chemistry at Cornell. After enough cold weather, he moved out west to continue doing chemistry somewhere he could see the sun. He now investigates actinyl-ligand multiple bonding and covalency in f-block tris(pyrazolyl)borate complexes. During his non-billable hours, he enjoys rock-climbing and boba. Matt Hernandez  mhern@berkeley.edu Matt hails from Ft. Lauderdale, FL and received his BS in Chemistry and MS in Civil & Environmental Engineering from Stanford University in 2018. After school, he worked on synthesizing polyamine curing agents for chemically recyclable polymers at a materials science startup. He spent the next few years working for an East Bay biotech company synthesizing bio-inspired epoxy resin monomers. Matt joined Polly’s group in Fall 2021 and is investigating the catalytic activity of bimetallic group IV and f-block complexes in dinitrogen reduction reactions. Outside the lab, Matt enjoys surfing at Ocean Beach, skiing in the Sierra, and mountain biking all around the Bay Area. Gabe Herrera  gabeherrera@berkeley.edu Gabe was born in southern Mexico but grew up in Houston. He received his BA from New York University in 2021 where he studied Chemistry and Bioethics. Gabe is currently working under the mentorships of Prof. Polly Arnold and Prof. John Hartwig, studying oxo-group chemistry of actinyl compounds for catalytic C-H/C-element bond activation and artificial metalloenzymes. In his free time, Gabe enjoys hanging out with his pugs. Jaden Lara  jklara@berkeley.edu Jaden grew up in San Diego county and received a BS in Chemistry from UCSD in 2022. There, he worked with tin-capped tri-nuclear nickel clusters for applications in electrochemical CO2 reduction. He is currently studying catalytic dinitrogen reduction with bimetallic f-block complexes. Outside of chemistry, Jaden enjoys trying new foods, lifting weights, playing video games, and occasionally backpacking or hiking. Cam Conour  csconour@berkeley.edu Cam grew up in Oakland, California and received his B.S. in Chemistry from UC Santa Cruz in 2023. As an undergraduate, he studied the use of MOF’s for the removal of aqueous pollutants as well as the characterization of monomeric stibene-oxides. Unable to survive real weather, he remained in California and joined the PLA group in 2023, studying covalency in transuranic organometallics. Outside of lab, Cam can be found at the gym or hanging out with friends. Anna Bair  bairanna@berkeley.edu Originally from Jackson, Michigan, Anna obtained her degree in chemistry (with a focus in chemical physics) at MIT in 2023. While there, she worked on selenium analogues of iron-sulfur clusters and with electronically variable N-heterocyclic carbenes. These days, she investigates the synthesis and kinetics of lanthanide-alkyl complexes, and bimetallic f-block complexes for dinitrogen and other small molecule activation. If not in lab, she can probably be found doing combat sports or something spooky. Sam Zlotnikov  sam_zlotnikov@berkeley.edu Sam grew up in Pennsylvania and received his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh in 2024. In his time there, he studied the in-vivo quantification of neurotransmitters via microdialysis LC. Since moving to the more favourable coast, he has been researching covalency in transuranic organometallic complexes. Outside of lab, he likes running historic photographic processes and watching British sitcoms. Aidan Mills  aidan_mills@berkeley.edu Originally from Kent, UK, Aidan completed his bachelors and masters degrees in chemistry at the University of Cambridge, where he conducted research on sodium metal batteries under the supervision of Professor Dame Clare Grey. He then traded the UK’s grey skies for California’s sunshine to pursue a PhD, focusing on the intersection of supramolecular and f-block chemistry, co-advised by Professor Polly Arnold and Professor Dean Toste. He is currently working on encapsulation of the uranyl cation for photocatalysis. Outside the lab, Aidan enjoys playing tennis and soccer and is always on the lookout for a decent pub in the Bay Area (though nothing quite compares to the real thing back home). Sam Aragon  saragon3@berkeley.edu Samantha Aragon was born and raised in El Paso, Texas before heading to San Antonio to earn her BS in Biochemistry at St. Mary’s University. Under Dr. Erendra Manandhar, she worked to synthesize 3D naphthalene-diimide based metallocycles via self-assembly. In the lab, she will be researching covalency in tranuranic complexes. Outside of research, Samantha likes to attend concerts, go hiking, play video games, and hang out with friends. Eliza Barker  elizabarker@berkeley.edu Eliza is originally from Madison, CT and received her B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Vermont, where she explored photocatalyzed pnictogen hydrofunctionalization. She is currently expanding her interest in photocatalysis into the realm of dinitrogen reduction using f-block complexes. Outside of the lab, she can be found lifting, biking, and hanging out with her dog Hadley. Haisley Windsor  haisley_windsor@berkeley.edu Haisley grew up in Fulton, Missouri and received a B.S. in Chemistry from Truman State University in 2025. During her time in undergrad, she studied the effects of CoM and MoI on isotopologues and unfolding behaviors of IgG1 antibodies under environmental stress conditions using cIMS-MS and Native MS, respectively. Ready to give up Missouri’s distinct four seasons, she moved to the coast for endless sunshine and a PhD (hopefully). She is currently investigating the bonding and electronic structure of uranyl-oxide complexes using XAS, co-advised by Professor Polly Arnold and Professor David Shuh. Outside of lab, Haisley enjoys reading, playing tennis, baking, and hiking! Kelly Xing  keer.xing@berkeley.edu Kelly completed her undergraduate degree in chemistry at Oxford. She first came to Berkeley as a visiting undergraduate student synthesising metal phosphinimide complexes. After switching research directions from d-block to f-block, she now works on uranyl photocatalysis. In her free time, she enjoys classical singing and Greek literature, with a splattering of history. Undergraduate Researchers Rupal Nimaiyar  Rupal grew up in Sunnyvale, which is in the South Bay and about an hour from Berkeley. She is an undergraduate majoring in Chemistry in the class of 2026. In the lab, she is going to be working on synthesizing new pentalene-based ligands for f-block organometallics. In her free time, she enjoys playing tennis, calligraphy, trying out new Berkeley restaurants, and playing pop songs on the piano. Jimmy Liu  Jimmy grew up in Changzhou, China. He transferred from UC Irvine to UC Berkeley in his junior year and is now an undergraduate majoring in Chemistry in the class of 2025. In the lab, he is currently working on synthesizing new types of H4mTP^R ligands for the N2 reduction project. Outside of study and research, he spends a lot of time doing photography and playing overwatch. Ryan Kitchens rkitchens@berkeley.edu Emily Gruber  emilygruber@berkeley.edu Polly: Polly is a faculty professor in the Chemistry department at University of California, Berkeley and the Director of the Chemical Sciences Division at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBL). She obtained her degrees from Oxford and Sussex in the UK, and was a Fulbright postdoctoral fellow at MIT before returning to the UK to an assistant professorship in 1999. Her academic career in the UK progressed through associate professorship at the University of Nottingham, then at the University of Edinburgh where she held the Crum Brown Chair of chemistry before moving to California in 2019. She made the film ‘A Chemical Imbalance’, a call to action for simple changes to achieve equality of opportunity in science, and was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s birthday honors list in 2018 for her contributions to chemistry and women in STEM; A Chemical Imbalance. |
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