Our Team
Join us! We are a unique group of individuals, highly energetic, and multidisciplinary. There is a strong emphasis on lasers and optics with a keen curiosity of the scientific unknown in complex materials.
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The group atmosphere is friendly, talkative, collaborative yet independent with a good deal of intellectual latitude.
Postdoctoral Associate
Prasenjit Srivastava
Ph.D. The University of Kansas
Physical Chemistry
Advised by Christopher G. Elles
M.Sc. in Chemistry, Institute of Chemical Technology Organic Chemistry
Advised by Bhalchandra M. Bhanage
B.Sc. in Chemistry, St. Xavier’s College
3rd year PhD student
Natalie Warren
B.S. The College of William & Mary
Natalie is from Bryans Road, Maryland and graduated from the College of William & Mary in 2022 with a major in Chemistry and a minor in Physics. She is an avid sports fan, spends most of her time cuddling with her dog Nina, and loves anything outdoors.
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3rd year PhD student
Umar Yunusa
M.S. Bayero University
B.S. Ahmadu Bello University
Umar holds a bachelor's and master's degree in chemistry, and is interested in development of nanostructured materials for applications in catalysis and renewable energy. He enjoys travelling and watching documentaries.
2nd year PhD student
Elizabeth Donahue
B.S. Boston College
Elizabeth is from Peabody, Massachusetts. She graduated with her bachelor's degree in chemistry from Boston College in 2023. Outside of lab, she enjoys listening to music, playing piano, attending concerts, knitting, and crocheting.
2nd year PhD student
Andes Willemsen
B.S. Northeastern University
Andes is from Lexington, Massachusetts and graduated from Northeastern University with a B.S. in Chemistry where he synthesized supramolecular photoredox catalysts with Prof. Hannah Sayre. He is interested in studying photochemical reactions in plasmonic confinement with ultrafast and steady state spectroscopy. Outside the lab, he enjoys cooking, soccer and rock climbing.
2nd year PhD student
Yuanqing Yun
B.S. Fudan University
Yuanqing is from Shanghai, China and obtained her bachelor's degree in Chemistry from Fudan University in 2023. She is interested in studying electrochemistry and photochemistry with SERS. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, handcrafting, and playing video games.
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Visiting Scholar, Brown University
Tomáš Malina
M.S. Charles University
B.S. Czech Technical University
Tomas is a visiting student from Prague, Czech republic, studying Biophysics at Charles University. His focus is artificial light-harvesting utilizing self-assembling photosynthetic pigments. Outside of lab, he enjoys most sports, hiking, playing guitar and various social activities.
Graduate Researcher
Kyra Watts
M.S. candidate Brown University
B.A. Cornell University
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Physics major with minors in Computer Science, Music, and English
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(coming soon)
Visiting Scholar, Brown University
David Schauer
Scientific Staff, ETH Zurich
B.S. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
David is an exchange student from Melk, Austria, studying Interdisciplinary Sciences (biochemical-​physical direction) at Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), where he most recently worked on plasmonic gold nanoparticles. In his free time, David enjoys reading and translating ancient philosophy, dangerous winter sports, and a wide range of outdoor activities, including rowing on lake Zurich.
Undergraduate Researcher
Zhanxian Gong
B.S. Brown University '26
Zhanxian is from Beijing, China and is considering concentrating in Chemical Physics. In his freetime, he loves to listen to light music, learn Japanese (still at entry-level) and play board games with friends.
Undergraduate Researcher
Annika Svedlund
B.S. Brown University '26
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(coming soon)
Undergraduate Researcher
Nicole Marion
I’m Nicole, from Bolivia, pursuing a B.S. in Biology with an interest in cell and molecular studies, especially in hands-on research related to cancer. I’m drawn to understanding molecular interactions and their impact on advanced diagnostics. In my free time, I enjoy designing and manufacturing structures for space-related research, playing tennis, swimming, singing, painting, and volunteering with Rotary Club International.
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Undergraduate Researcher
Benjamín Córdova Herrera
Brown University '26
Sc.B. Candidate in Chemical Engineering
A.B. Candidate in East Asian Studies​
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Benjamín is from Seattle, Washington. He is currently a junior concentrating in Chemical Engineering and East Asian Studies. Outside the lab, he loves cooking, swimming and learning languages. Benjamín is a joint student with the Sullivan and Martinez-Moreno lab in the Center for Spine Tumor and Chordoma Research in the Warren Alpert Medical School.​
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New student
Linus 'n Lucy
Team member and group snacks
