People

AllP.I.Postdoctoral ScholarsGraduate Scholars

Primary Investigator

Monika Raj

Dr. Raj grew up in Chandigarh, India and obtained her Ph.D in Organic Chemistry from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur. After receiving her Ph.D., Prof. Raj was a postdoctoral fellow at University of Pennsylvania and then at New York University. She joined Seton Hall as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry in 2014 and moved to the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Auburn University in 2017. As of 2020, she is an Acting Associate Professor in the Emory University Department of Chemistry. She has received the 2019 NIH MIRA Award, the Early Career Lectureship from APS, and the NSF Career Award, among other honors.

Graduate Scholar

Victor Adebomi

Victor is fourth year graduate student with a B.Sc in Biochemistry from Osun State University, Nigeria. He is enthusiastic about applying techniques from organic chemistry to solve problems in biochemistry. During his leisure periods, he likes playing musical instruments and listening to music.

Graduate Scholar

Benjamin Emenike

Benjamin was born and raised in Nigeria. He received his B.S in Biochemistry at Nnamdi Azikiwe University. In the lab, he is working on developing tools using organic chemistry for the discovery of new biomarkers for various diseases. When not in the lab, he primarily engages in graphic design, 3D art, and programming.

Graduate Scholar

Dingjie Li

Dingjie was born and raised in Shanghai. He received his undergraduate degree in applied chemistry at Shanghai University. In the lab, he combines skills from chemistry and biology. When not in the lab, he enjoys playing badminton and listening to music.

Graduate Scholar

Ogonna Nwajiobi

Ogonna (Jay) is from Nigeria. He obtained his B.S. and M.Sc. in Biochemistry. He finds Biochemistry exciting and hopes to be an integral part of ‘evolution in the tube’ of which chemistry offers a veritable means. Besides research, he enjoys reading a whole lot of exciting topics, including, but not limited to, politics, psychology, and religion. Having a people-oriented personality, he strives to build strong networks within his community and beyond.

Graduate Scholar

Kuei Chien Tang

Kuei Chien is a fourth year graduate student. He grew up in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. In his spare time, he loves to jog, play basketball and watch movies.

Postdoctoral Scholar

Ashish Verma

Ashish was born and raised in India. He earned his Ph.D. in carbohydrate chemistry from Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, India. His research interests include identification of biomarkers for diseases like cancer and diabetes. He is a nature lover and loves to explore new places. When not in the lab, he loves singing (old Bollywood songs), weird dancing (because he doesn’t know how to dance), and is a great swimmer. He does yoga regularly. Currently, he is working on meditation which he finds very difficult.

Graduate Scholar

Rachel D. Wills

Rachel is a third year graduate student with a B.S. in Biochemistry from Springhill College. Her work has an emphasis on organic chemistry and its biological applications. She spent four years teaching chemistry at the high school level. In her free time, she enjoys reading, cooking, and relaxing. Rachel is an extrovert, so please feel free to reach out and ask her questions!

GRADUATE SCHOLAR

Breana Lagüera

My name is Breana, and I’m from South Padre Island, Texas. I graduated from Texas State University with a B.S. in Biology with a minor in Chemistry in 2018 and an M.S. in Biochemistry in 2020. I am passionate about organic chemistry, particularly as it relates to drug discovery, due to the limitless potentiality to discover new molecules, particularly those that may be biologically active.

GRADUATE SCHOLAR

Rodriguez patricia

Patricia was born in Cuba and grew up in Miami, Florida. She graduated with her B.S. in Chemistry from Florida International University. She’s interested in using organic and biological chemistry to synthesize molecules that can potentially be used as therapeutics or lead to the discovery of new therapeutics. Outside of lab, she enjoys going to the beach, parks, and hiking trails; she loves the outdoors and nature. To relax and stay fit, she practices yoga. Back home, she has a dog named Oreo who she loves very much!