Catalysis underpins modern manufacturing, with more than 80% of manufactured goods relying on catalytic processes. Yet many of these transformations still depend on transition metals, raising concerns about cost, scarcity, toxicity, and environmental impact. If sustainability is the goal, why do so many catalytic technologies rely on elements that are difficult to source responsibly? My research addresses this challenge by redefining which elements can be used to make the essential molecules and materials of modern life. Our lab combines synthetic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, and photochemistry to transform silicon, the second most abundant element in Earth’s crust, into a novel platform for sustainable catalysis by designing its molecular environment to unlock reactivity. We aim to develop silicon-based catalysts to selectively drive chemical reactions for the efficient synthesis of medicines and advanced materials, and for the breakdown of persistent pollutants such as PFAS.

Awards and Achievements

  • Organic Reactions and Processes Gordon Research Conference Discussion Leader ( 2027)
  • Selected Faculty for Organic Syntheses Workshop ( 2026)
  • Organometallics Gordon Research Conference Poster Award ( 2025)
  • Invited Panelist for Advancing Base Metal Catalysis with Modern Tools of Data Science ( 2025)
  • Chair of the Princeton ACS Section ( 2025)
  • Chair-Elect of the Princeton ACS Section ( 2024)
  • Invited Local Section Leader for the ACS Leadership Institute ( 2024)
  • Natural Products Gordon Research Conference Discussion Leader ( 2024)
  • Presidential Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Princeton University ( 2020-2023)
  • Bristol-Myers Squibb Graduate Fellowship in Synthetic Organic Chemistry ( 2020)
  • Reaxys PhD Prize Finalist ( 2019)
  • Recognition for Contributions to the Synthesis of Constrained Bicyclic Amines (Merck) ( 2018)
  • NIH Supplemental Diversity Fellowship ( 2016-2019)
  • Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award ( 2016)
  • NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Honorable Mention ( 2016)
  • Zaida C. Morales-Martinez and Howard E. Moore Chemistry Award ( 2015)
  • ABRCMS Poster Award ( 2014)
  • Badia Spices Scholarship ( 2013)
  • Recognition for Excellence in Organic Chemistry (SoFLACS Awards Banquet) ( 2013)