Team

she/her

lc7785@princeton.edu

B.S., Southern Methodist University, 2020

4th Year Graduate Student

Lejla obtained her bachelor’s degree in chemistry at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, where she researched hypervalent iodine species and their reactivities in the Tsarevsky lab. She joined the Stache lab in 2020, working on leveraging isocyanides in radical polymerization methods to generate novel polymer materials. She enjoys spending time with her roommate’s two cats, listening to music, and any outdoor activities.

he/him

so423@cornell.edu

B.S., Boston College, 2020

4th Year Graduate Student

Sewon grew up in South Korea before coming to the US, attending middle and high school in Washington state. He then moved to the east coast to attend Boston College to earn a bachelor’s in chemistry with a minor in mathematics. During his time there he became interested in research, specifically polymer science. During his college career, he returned to Korea to serve in the military service for two years. Upon being discharged, he finished his undergraduate career and came to Cornell University for his Ph.D., where he continues to perform research while being mentored by Dr. Stache from afar. Outside of lab, he likes playing basketball and soccer, cooking, and eye glasses shopping.

she/her

hj8391@princeton.edu

B.S., Purdue University, 2021

3rd Year Graduate Student

Hanning comes from Beijing, China. She attended Purdue University and worked in analytical (Dr. Kenttämma) and organic (Dr. Mei) labs. Upon graduation, she joined the Stache lab due to strong interest in alleviating plastic pollution. Her career dream is simply degrading a million tons of plastic within her lifetime. In her free time, Hanning loves baking, crocheting, and making artworks.

she/her

mm9987@princeton.edu

B.S., University of Florida, 2021

3rd Year Graduate Student

Megan went to undergrad at the University of Florida, where she studied english and chemistry. In the lab of Dr. Seidel, she studied the oxo-Pictet-Spengler reaction using thiourea catalysts. In the Stache lab, Megan works on expanding small molecule synthesis methods using the photothermal effect exhibited by carbonaceous nanoparticles. In her free time Megan enjoys cooking, reading, and spending time with her cat, Chloe.

she/her

cp4278@princeton.edu

B.S., Ball State University, 2018

M.A., Ball State University, 2021

3rd Year Graduate Student

Cristina attended Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana for her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. During her undergrad, she conducted research on adhesive polysulfides synthesized from garlic extract components. For her master’s she helped develop an assay system for the detection of metabolites produced from Rieske deoxygenase variants made from a directed evolution platform. Cristina is very excited to get back into polymer synthesis in the Stache lab. When she’s not working in the lab, you can find her traveling to new places with her husband, baking, or taking too many pictures of her two dogs, Teddy and Logan.

he/him

jd4825@princeton.edu

B.S., University of Wisconsin Madison, 2022

2nd Year Graduate Student

Jacob attended the University of Wisconsin Madison for undergrad, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in chemistry with a minor in applied mathematics. While there, Jacob conducted research under Dr. Boydston on mechanochemically responsive small molecules for incorporation into 3D-printable functional materials. In 2022, Jacob moved out east to join the Stache lab at Cornell in pursuit of using photothermal conversion as a methodology for small-molecule synthesis before moving down with the group to Princeton in 2023. Outside of the lab, Jacob spends his free time playing D&D, doing yoga, or practicing his guitar.

they/them

ct2822@princeton.edu

B.S., The University of Texas at Austin, 2021

2nd Year Graduate Student

Clotilde attended the University of Texas at Austin and earned a B.S. in chemistry, working in Dr. Zacharia Page’s lab developing novel 3D printing strategies and synthesizing dyes with expanded functionalities. They joined the Stache lab at Cornell University to learn how to depolymerize commodity polymers and is stoked to continue their education at Princeton University. In their free time, Clotilde enjoys spending time with their cats Selene and Helios, playing video games, and making art.

he/him

rd3996@princeton.edu

B.S., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 2023

1st Year Graduate Student

Born and raised in Littleton, Colorado, Rory completed his undergraduate degree in biochemistry/biophysics and mathematics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. At RPI, he was involved in computational biophysics studies of collagen peptides with Dr. Makhatadze. He also spent 6 months working on total synthesis in the group of Dr. Hanessian at the Université de Montréal in Quebec. Outside of the lab, Rory enjoys skiing, bicycle racing, and mountaineering as well as playing the piano and choral singing.