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The Team

We are actively recruiting passionate chemists to conduct research at the interface of organic synthesis, catalysis, and electrochemistry with applications in complex molecule synthesis.

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Joseph Derosa, Ph.D.
(he/him)

Principal Investigator (PI)

Innovation Career Development Assistant Professor, Boston University 

AOB Postdoctoral Fellow, Caltech, 2020–2023 (Prof. Jonas C. Peters)

Ph.D. in Chemistry, Scripps Research, 2019 (Prof. Keary M. Engle)

B.S. in Biochemistry, City College of NY, 2015 (Prof. Mark R. Biscoe)

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Research Interests: Transition metals, catalysis, and electrochemistry

Hobbies: Hiking, graphic novels, and creative writing

Postdoctoral Associates

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Siyuan Su, Ph.D.
(he/him)

Zi Xuan, Ph.D.
(she/her)

Brett Akana-Schneider, Ph.D.
(he/him)

Postdoctoral Associate (PD2)

Ph.D. in Chemistry, University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), 2023 (Prof. Daesung Lee)

M.S. in Chemistry, Stony Brook University, 2017 (Prof. Kathlyn A. Parker)

B.S. in Pharmacy, Sichuan University, 2015 (Prof. Ying-Chun Chen)

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Research Interests: Organometallics and novel synthetic methods

Hobbies: Playing tennis, going out for casual walks, and hiking

Postdoctoral Associate (PD1)

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), 2023–2024 (Prof. Patricia Z. Musacchio)

Ph.D. in Chemistry, Ewha Womans University, 2017 (Prof. Sang-gi Lee)

B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Chungbuk National University, 2012 

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Research Interests: Transition metal catalysis

Hobbies: Traveling, music, and movies

Postdoctoral Associate (PD1)

Ph.D. in Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2024 (Prof. Daniel J. Weix)

B.S. in Chemistry/B.A. in Mathematics, St. Mary's University, 2017 (Prof. Oleg Larionov at UTSA)

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Research Interests: Reaction development, mechanistic investigation, and catalyst development

Hobbies: Cooking, gardening, and foraging

Graduate Students

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Yahui "Leyla" Guo
(she/her)

Graduate Student (G2)

B.S. in Chemistry, University of Rochester, 2023 (Prof. Bradley L. Nilsson)

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Research Interests: Transition metal catalysis

Hobbies: Gym, [solidcore], climbing, and snowboarding

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Bryan Parnitzke
(he/him)

NSF Graduate Research Fellow (G2)

B.S. in Chemistry, Baldwin Wallace University, 2023 (Prof. Ray Shively)

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Research Interests: Organometallic chemistry in organic synthesis

Hobbies: Longboarding, PlayStation, and exploring new places to eat

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Jillian Genova 
(she/her)

Graduate Student (G1)

B.S. in Chemistry, University of Michigan, 2021 (Prof. John Montgomery)

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (s/o Hardwin O'Dowd)

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Research Interests: Novel synthetic methodology and scalable organic synthesis

Hobbies: Spending time with friends, cooking, and design

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Wesley Reller
(he/him)

Graduate Student (G1)

B.S. in Chemistry, College of the Holy Cross, 2024 (Prof. Bianca Sculimbrene) 

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Research Interests: Transition metal catalysis, environmentally-friendly chemistry

Hobbies: Drawing, reading, hiking, and singing

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Alec Adam
(he/him)

Graduate Student (G1)​

B.S. in Chemisty and Mathematics, University of Florida, 2024 (Prof. Adam Veige) 

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Research Interests:  Catalysis, synthetic organic methodology, and computational chemistry 

Hobbies: Golf, tennis, and playing music

Undergraduate Researchers

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Ethan Gerhardt 
(he/him)

Undergraduate Student (UG4)

(UROP Award 2024)

B.A. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Boston University, 2025 

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Research Interests: Synthetic organic chemistry 

Hobbies: Going to the gym, cooking, and trying new foods

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Tegan Poerio
(she/her)

Undergraduate Student (UG4)

(UROP Award 2024)

B.S. in Human Physiology,

Boston University, 2025 

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Research Interests: Synthetic organic chemistry

Hobbies: Playing for the BU field hockey team and baking

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Sam Rekulak
(he/him)

Undergraduate Student (UG3)

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B.A. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Boston University, 2026

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Research Interests:  Organic chemistry, biological chemistry, neurodegenerative diseases 

Hobbies: Running, cycling, rock climbing, and singing

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Arya Reddy
(she/her)

Undergraduate Student (UG2)

B.A. in Chemistry,

Boston University, 2027 

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Research Interests: Synthetic organic chemistry

Hobbies: Going to the gym, photography, hiking

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25 Buick Street Boston, MA 02215

Boston University, Department of Chemistry

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© 2023 by Derosa Lab

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