Monika Raj
Victor Adebomi
Benjamin Emenike
Dingjie Li
Ogonna Nwajiobi
Kuei Chien Tang
Ashish Verma
Rachel D. Wills
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. Raxhel is an extrovert, so please feel free to reach out and ask her questions!