The Team
Postdoctoral fellows
Jake Evans, Ph. D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (joined August 2024)
IIN Postdoctoral Fellow
Ph.D. Chemistry, California Institute of Technology, 2024
(with Prof. Nate Lewis)​
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Jake grew up in Fuguay-Varina, NC before attending UNC-Chapel Hill fro college, where he gained a love for college basketball. Jake performed research in the lab of Jim Cahoon while at UNC, then decided to continue his education, earning his PhD from Caltech in 2024 working in the lab of Nate Lewis. Jake joined the Malapit lab at Northwestern and is excited to use his expertise in materials and mechanistic electrochemistry to solve challenging questions on underlying the mechanisms in electrosynthesis and energy/CO2 storage. Jake enjoys science outreach, especially at the K-8 level, and outside of lab can usually be found cooking up something new in the kitchen.​
Enqi Feng, Ph. D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (joined November 2024)
Ph.D. Chemistry, Washington University in St. Louis, 2024
(with Prof. Kevin Moeller)​
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Enqi grew up in Jinan and obtained his bachelor’s degree at Xiamen University. There, he started his undergraduate research in organic electrochemistry under the guidance of Prof. Xu. After graduating in 2019, Enqi decided to join Prof. Moeller’s lab at WashU in St. Louis pursuing his Ph.D. degree. His Ph.D. research focused on inducing selectivity in electrochemical reactions by modifying the electrode surface. In 2024, Enqi joined Prof. Malapit's lab as a postdoc and is working on the utility of electrochemistry towards the development of new cross-coupling reactions. Outside the lab, Enqi enjoys hiking, watching soccer, playing golf and cooking.​
SangHyun Lee, Ph. D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (joined February 2025)
Ph.D. Chemistry, University of Texas at Austin, 2024
(with Prof. Kami Hull)​
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SangHyun was born and raised in Changwon, South Korea. She earned her B.S. in Chemistry at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She obtained her M.S. in chemistry at University of California at San Diego where she investigated transition metal-catalyzed decarbonylative/decarboxylative cross-coupling reactions under the supervision of Professor Valerie Schmidt. She then moved to University of Texas at Austin and completed her Ph.D. in Chemistry under the guidance of Prof. Kami Hull. Her doctoral research focused on developing Cu-catalyzed oxidative olefin difunctionalization reactions and their mechanistic investigations. In 2025, she joined the Malapit group where she is interested in developing novel electrochemical organic transformations through the merger of transition metal-catalysis and electrochemistry. Outside of the lab, she enjoys listening to new music, watching movies, and trying good restaurants.​
Graduate students (PhD in Chemistry)
Stella Fors
Graduate student (joined Fall 2021)
stellafors2026@u.northwestern.edu
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2024 Mirzayan Fellow, National Academy of Sciences
2024 ACS CIBA Award in Green Chemistry
NSF GRFP, Honorable mention, 2021
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B.S. Chemistry, 2020
University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)
Research with Prof. Hosea Nelson
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Stella grew up near San Francisco and escaped the Bay Area gloom by moving to Los Angeles to pursue her undergraduate degree at UCLA. While at UCLA, she researched Au-mediated catalysis under Professor Hosea Nelson. After graduating in 2020, Stella worked as a polymer chemist at HRL Laboratories in Malibu. In 2021, she started her PhD at Northwestern. When she's not in lab, you can find her trail running, practicing yoga, spending time with her cat, and getting together with friends.
An Kitamura
Graduate student (joined Fall 2021)
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Quad Fellow by Schmidt Futures, 2023
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B.S. Chemistry, 2021
Carleton College
Research with Prof. Deborah Gross
I'm from Kanagawa, Japan. My research interests are in organic and electrochemistry. In the Malapit group at Northwestern, I'm currently working on utilizing principles in physical organic chemistry towards the design and synthesis of redox-active organic molecules for potential application in energy storage technology. Outside of research, I enjoy photography and ice skating.
Emily Mahoney
Graduate student (joined Fall 2021)
emilymahoney2026@u.northwestern.edu
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2024 ACS ENFL Research Award, Gold Prize
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B.S. Chemistry, 2021
Rochester Institute of Technology
Research with Prof. Hans Schmitthenner
Emily is from Cazenovia, a small town in upstate New York that is centered around an even smaller lake. When she is home she loves to swim, hike, climb and take her dog on walks. Emily attended Rochester Institute of Technology where she earned her bachelors degree in chemistry in 2021. At RIT, she focused on the synthesis of dyes utilized as cancer imaging agents. After taking a summer to travel and scuba dive, she came to Northwestern to begin her PhD. In the Malapit group, Emily is working on organic redox flow batteries and is very excited to be doing something that contributes to sustainable energy use in the future.
Griffin Stewart
Graduate student (joined Fall 2022)
griffinstewart2027@u.northwestern.edu
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B.S. Chemistry, 2021
Georgia Institute of Technology
Research with Prof. Seth Marder
I am a small town Southerner-turned-city person. My interest in chemistry ignited late in my high school days at the Mississippi School for Math and Science, and I have gained a special interest in sustainability, watching what pollution and climate change driven catastrophes have done to my home region in the deep south/Gulf of Mexico. In my free time, I enjoy cooking, brewing mead, painting my place with my high school sweetheart, and playing bridge.
Jessica Zhong
Graduate student (joined Fall 2022)
weiyuzhong2027@u.northwestern.edu
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B.A. Chemistry, 2022
Colgate University
Research with Prof. Ernest Nolen
Jessica spent her childhood in Chengdu, Hong Kong, and Charlotte, NC. She earned her bachelor's in Chemistry at Colgate University, where she focused on the synthesis of Tn antigen mimics for glycoconjugate cancer vaccine development. Beginning a new chapter of her life at Northwestern, Jessica is excited to be working on reaction discovery using the powerful tools of organometallic chemistry, organic synthesis, and electrocatalysis. Besides chemistry, Jessica is also passionate about ballet, ice skating, and late night karaoke.
Michael Garza
Graduate student (joined Fall 2024)
MichaelGarza2029@u.northwestern.edu
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B.S. Biochemistry, 2025
University of Notre Dame
Research with Prof. Juan Del Valle
I'm from San Antonio, Texas and received my BS in Biochemistry from the University of Notre Dame. During this time, I worked on the synthesis of the natural product pseudouridimycin, a bacterial RNA polymerase inhibitor. At Northwestern, my interests now lie in methodology aimed at discovering new ways of achieving important chemical transformations in order to provide improved access to complex targets of medical relevance. Outside of lab I enjoy cooking new things and playing video games with my friends.
Ian Vanswearingen
Graduate student (joined Fall 2025)
ian.vanswearingen@northwestern.edu
Undergraduate researcher (2022–2025)
Malapit group, Northwestern University​
REU Fellowship, International Institute for Nanotechnology
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BS in Chemistry and BA in Physics, 2025
University of Illinois at Chicago
I was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. I first fell in love with chemistry as a highschool student where my AP Chemistry teacher would often have long discussions with me about the field and material we covered after class. Once I got into university, I realized a deep appreciation for organic chemistry and chemical synthesis from my professors in organic chemistry who would answer all my questions and pushed me to read papers in the subject. In my free time, I like to learn languages such as arabic and python, I like to go climbing, I enjoy trying new restaurants with friends, and I love to volunteer at cat shelters and events with Chicago Public Schools (CPS).
Tegan Poerio
Graduate student (joined Fall 2025)
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BS in Chemistry, Boston University (class of 2025)
University of Illinois at Chicago
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Tegan grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She then went to undergrad at Boston University where she got a B.S. in Human Physiology and was also a member of BU's varsity field hockey team. Her undergraduate research was done in electrochemistry under Professor Joseph Derosa. This experience influenced her decision to continue pursing electrochem, and she is now working on redox flow batteries. Outside of lab you can find Tegan running, baking, and going to the beach with her friends.
Visiting research scholars
Undergraduate students
Kien Nguyen
Undergraduate researcher (joined Fall 2024)
KienNguyen2027@u.northwestern.edu
BS in Chemistry (class of 2027)
Northwestern University
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I grew up in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam, a land of rich cultural heritage, lots of good food and extraordinary landscapes. My interest in science came from my fascination with human diseases in primary school, and I soon realized that pursuing organic chemistry is a great way for me to contribute to the pharmaceutical industry and make an impact on healthcare. In research, I am interested in developing reactions that enable unprecedented bond formations and precise selectivity controls. I also enjoy exploring the application of these technologies in the context of complex molecule synthesis. Outside of research and classes, I love spending time with my family and friends, doing photography, listening to music and playing bass.
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Lucas Zhang
Undergraduate researcher (joined Fall 2025)
LucasZhang2029@u.northwestern.edu
BS in Chemistry (class of 2029)
Northwestern University
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I am from Beijing, China. I am an undergraduate student with a strong interest in chemistry, particularly total synthesis and electro/photochemistry. I have participated in academic research with Dr. Chao Li before enrolling in Northwestern as an undergraduate student at the National Institute of Biological Sciences, investigating asymmetric organometallic catalysis. Outside of research, I enjoy playing video games, playing ping pong, and traveling.
Former members
Former postdocs and graduate students:
Dr. Eva Alvarez-Pari
Postdoctoral Fellow (August 2022 – July 2025)
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Current: Assistant Professor of Chemistry
University of Virginia
Group website: Alvarez-Pari Group
Ph.D. Chemistry, Max Planck Institute, 2022
(with Professor Tobias Ritter)​
Dr. Maxime Boudjelel
Postdoctoral Fellow (March 2022 – April 2024)
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Current: Scientist, Merck
Postdoctoral scholar, UC Riverside, 2020-2022 (with Professor Richard Schrock)
Ph.D. Molecular Chemistry, Université Paul Sabatier, 2019
Former undergraduate and master students, visiting scholars
Fred (Hong) Yan, Visiting scholar (June – December 2025)
Current: Undergraduate student, USTC, China
Chris Rapala, Undergraduate researcher (Jan 2023 – May 2025)
Current: PhD student, UC Berkeley (Hartwig group)
Henry Shavel, Undergraduate researcher (Jan 2022 – May 2024)
Current: PhD Student, UCLA
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Rossul Aldhufari, Undergraduate researcher (Jan 2022 – May 2025)
Current: MD student, Northwestern University
Lise Fabre, Graduate student visiting scholar (Summer 2025)
Current: MS student, University of Orléans, France
Jia Yap, MS, BS/MS student (Jan 2022 – May 2024)
Current: Scientist, Petronas (Malaysia)
Alex Wlodarczak, High school intern (Summer 2024)
Current: Undergraduate student, Duke University
Jinxiao Li, Visiting undergraduate scholar (July 2023 – May 2024)​
Current: PhD Student, University of Minnesota
Mohammed Ullah, MS, MS Chemistry (Dec 2022 – Nov 2023)​
Lorenzo Ballerini, MS, ERASMUS Visiting scholar (Jan–July 2023)
Dr. Yanqin He, Visiting Scholar (Feb 2022 - April 2023)​
Stephonda Lewis, NIH MARC Fellow, Visiting Scholar (Summer 2022)
Mira Goldstein, High school research intern (Summer 2022)​
Current: Undergraduate student, Rice University
Daniel Thomas, ​Undergraduate researcher (Jan 2022 to Aug 2022)
Izzy Huang, Undergraduate researcher (Jan to June 2022)