Graduate Students
Julius Semenya
Julius Semenya was born in Ghana. He earned his BS in Chemistry from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology–Ghana, KNUST, in 2015. At KNUST, Julius investigated antimicrobial activities of Ghanaian clays and plants in Dr. Lawrence Borquaye's lab . He later earned his MS in Chemistry from Central Michigan University working on the synthesis of antioxidant dendrimers in Dr. Choon Lee's lab . In his free time, Julius enjoys cooking and playing volleyball.
Cesar Reyes
Cesar was born and raised in Texas. After serving as an active-duty member in the Marine Corps, he earned his BS in Biochemistry and MS in Chemistry at The University of Texas at Dallas (2021). At UT Dallas, Cesar investigated the use of MOFs and biomaterials for drug delivery in Dr. Jeremiah Gassensmith’s lab . In his free time, Cesar enjoys going to the beach and hiking.
Yuanjie Yang
Yuanjie Yang was born in China. In 2021, he completed the B.A/M.A program in Chemistry at Brandeis University. While at Brandeis, Yuanjie investigated iron-catalyzed C-C bond formation reactions in Dr. Hao Xu’s lab . In his free time, Yuanjie enjoys reading novels and cooking.
Undergraduate Students
Connie Karanovic
Connie was born and raised in Burbank, California and will be transferring to UCLA in the fall of 2023 to pursue a B.S. in biochemistry. Connie was initially a biology major, but fell in love with organic chemistry after taking it at her community college. She particularly enjoys the puzzle-solving nature of synthesis. In her free time, Connie enjoys going to the movies, playing sudoku, and going on walks with her dog .
Kimberly Giannantonio
Kimberly was born and raised in Henderson, Nevada, and is pursuing a bachelors degree in chemistry at the University of Nevada Reno (UNR). She previously worked in Dr. Wesley Chalifoux’s lab at UNR attempting natural product synthesis. Kimberly is at USC for the summer of 2023 as part of an NIH program. In her free time, Kimberly enjoys ice skating and hiking.