Tony was born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota. He moved to Chicago in 2013 to attend Loyola University Chicago where he earned a BS in both economics and chemistry in 2017. During his undergraduate studies he developed a passion in organic chemistry after joining a research lab specializing in organometallic catalysis and synthesis. He continued his graduate studies at Loyola and earned his MS in 2019 in organic chemistry. He has spent this past year conducting research at Argonne National Laboratory on solid state electrolyte and catalyst synthesis. Outside of lab he enjoys attending music festivals, skiing, and hiking. 

Harleen was born and raised in Punjab, India. She got a B. Sc. in Chemistry (Hons.) and M.Sc. in Chemistry (Hons.) from Panjab University, Chandigarh in 2017 and 2019, respectively. During her bachelors, she had the chance to be part of a research lab working in organic synthesis which built up her interest in synthesis. Her love for chemistry further grew up during her master’s project. She moved to the U.S. in 2021 to pursue a Ph.D. in organometallic chemistry and catalysis in the Arevalo lab. In her free time, she enjoys dancing and listening Punjabi songs.

Victor was born in Mexico, but raised in Oxnard, CA. In 2015, he moved to Irvine to attend the University of California, Irvine and earn a B.S. in Chemistry. During his time at UCI, he developed a passion for inorganic chemistry and organic synthesis. Victor graduated from UCI in 2019 and later found employment at an agricultural/agronomy production laboratory. After a year in industry, he decided to leave industry and continue his education in graduate school. Outside of the lab he enjoys watching movies/films, going for a walk, and photography.

Himani was born and raised in Punjab, a state in the North of India. She got a B. S. in Chemistry (honors) from Panjab University, Chandigarh in 2020. During that time, she got the opportunity to work in research labs focused on organic, inorganic, analytical and physical chemistry. After this experience, she decided to pursue a Ph.D. in organometallic chemistry. She will be moving to the U.S. in spring 2022 to begin her Ph.D. at the department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UC Merced. In her free time she loves watching movies, reading books, listening to music, and spending time with friends.

Roger was born and raised in California. He attended California State University, Bakersfield where he received his B.S. in Chemistry in 2021. During his time there, he developed a fascination for chemistry and became a chemistry tutor for the university. He had the opportunity to pursue research in materials chemistry at UC Santa Cruz and organometallic synthesis at CSUB. His interest in organometallic research grew through these opportunities and is now pursuing his Ph.D. in organometallic chemistry in the Arevalo lab. Outside of lab he enjoys playing video games and board games.

Diksha was born and raised in Himachal Pradesh, India. She got a B.Sc in Chemistry (Hons.) from HPU, Shimla and M.Sc in Chemistry from Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala, in 2018. During her master's, she worked on her research thesis titled “Effect of Time and Amount of Ag Photodeposition over TiO2 on Photocatalytic Properties” and published a second author paper. She also did a summer internship at IISER, Bhopal, which dealt with “Synthesis and Properties of Dibromo-BODIPY”.  She has also worked as an Assistant Lecturer for more than two years, mentoring JEE and NEET aspirants. Her research and love for teaching motivated her to pursue PhD in chemistry at UC Merced, being a part of Dr Rebeca’s research group. She loves gardening and watching movies in her free time.

​Maryam, originally from Esfahan, Iran, completed her B.Sc. in Applied Chemistry at K. N. Toosi University of Technology and her M.Sc. in Organic Chemistry at the University of Tehran in 2022. During her master's degree, she focused on studying transition-metal catalyzed C-H activation/functionalization reactions. This research allowed her to gain a deep understanding of various reaction mechanisms of transition metal catalysis. Throughout her studies, Maryam developed a keen interest in the utilization of earth-abundant transition-metal catalysts, driven by her commitment to the field of green chemistry. Outside the lab, she enjoys reading books, watching movies and hiking.

Andrew was raised in central California. He first enrolled in the local community college in 8th grade in 2018 and graduated with honors before receiving his high school diploma from Atwater High School. Formal instruction fueled his natural curiosity; in the transition to University Andrew experienced research for the first time in a USDA funded, six week, Summer bridge, FACTs program in the O'Day lab. After a rigorous year of upper division Chemistry coursework, Andrew is set on graduate school to help "save the world" after graduation in Spring 2024. On off-time, he enjoys hiking, climbing rocks, roller-skating, eating, and scraping knee in the "twisties".

​Brianna is currently a third-year undergraduate majoring in Chemistry with and emphasis in Biological Chemistry. She was born and raised in California. Her curiosity for Chemistry first sparked during her high school AP Chemistry course. However, it wasn’t until immersing herself in college-level Chemistry coursework and working as a Chemistry learning assistant that her interest began to grow.  With her growing interest, she hopes to enrich her skills and knowledge with her first experience in a research environment. In her free time, she enjoys reading, singing, drawing, and taking care of plants.