Alumni

Project scientist

Seven “the dog”

Very Important Canine

Dr. Chungryong choi

Born in 1988 and spent most of time in Pusan, the second largest city and beautiful ocean city in South Korea until he graduated with a B.S in Polymer Science & Engineering from Pusan National University in 2013. His special experience is that he spent two year in military service during B.S as almost other Korean men do. Six years later, he earned a Ph.D. from Pohang University Science and Technology, Korea in 2019 with Prof. Jin Kon Kim and the thesis was “Fabrication of Dual-Nanopatterns using Microphase Separation of Photo-Responsive Block Copolymer.” He started working as a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Bates and Read de Alaniz groups in 2020 to study pressure sensitive adhesives. He spends most of free time for traveling, shopping and walking with his wife to fully enjoy this beautiful and peaceful Santa Barbara.

Dr. Andrei nikolaev

Andrei grew up in a cold and snowy Canada in a busy Toronto city. His academic journey started in college studying Chemical Engineering Technology. During this time, he learned a lot about chemical instrumentation used in analytical laboratories. His true passion was organic chemistry and for that reason he enrolled in a Chemistry program. After finishing his undergraduate studies, he transitioned to graduate studies. After completing his doctoral degree, he left the east coast and arrived in a beautiful sunny California to explore the exciting field of polymer research. In a little free time that he have he like to workout, hike, and go to the beach.

Dr. Hui Nie

Hui was born and grew up in Hubei province-“the land of fish and rice” in China. At 2009, she travelled to the north part of China and has her PhD in Jilin University with Prof. Sean Xiao-An Zhang and Prof. Minjie Li. For her PhD study, she works on several projects such as self-assembly of metal-organic coordination polymers and carbon dots. After received her degree at 2015, she moved to the “orange” country Netherlands for postdoc study with Prof. Jos Paulusse in University of Twente and Prof. Katerina Dohnalová in University of Amsterdam. During her two years happy journey there, she worked on bright silicon quantum dots. Then she moved to sunny Santa Barbara, California and now works with Prof. Javier Read de Alaniz on photoswitches for polymerized ionic liquid.

Dr. Jaejun Lee

Born in April 1984 in a small town, Suncheon, located in southern South Korea. At age 19, I moved to Seoul to enjoy college life at Hanyang University. The fancy Korean name of material science and engineering major, directly translated to new material engineering, brought me to study this major for more than 10+ years. If someone is wondering why I spent 7 years to finish my bachelor degree, spending 2 years and 2 months for an alternative military service would be an answer. I earned MS degree in materials science and engineering in KAIST, Daejeon and started another journey to study polymers in University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the middle of corn fields. I finally completed my Ph.D. under supervision of Nancy Sottos working with nice lab mates and collaborators. 

A reason to continue career as a postdoc : curiosity in stimulus-responsive materials

My interests : playing basketball, soccer and golf

First place visit in Santa Barbara : Saturday Fisherman’s market

Favorite burger place in Santa Barbara : Habit burger

Favorite golf course in Santa Barbara : Glen Annie golf course

The moment decided to start surf in the near future : when I met Javier carrying a surf board

Jamie Shaum

Jamie Shaum grew up in Los Angeles, California where he did the basic stuff children do. Later in life he travelled to Maine to study chemistry and snowboarding at Colby College.  When not skiing the glades at Saddleback Mountain, he worked on the syntheses of formyl-carbenes and twisted-phenanthrenes. After college, Jamie accepted a job at the NIH’s very own Chemical Biology Laboratory. Once settled in, he worked on several promising projects. Some notable examples of his work were the syntheses of a new NIR fluorophore, a β-glucosidase sensing probe, and a project only known as “fluorogenesis.” Jamie is afraid of his mortality and hopes the compounds he synthesizes will improve the lives of many people. Then maybe when modern civilization collapses into chaos, people will remember him and think fondly of him. Jamie also really hates writing about himself in the third-person. I hate this. That’s right. It’s me. I’ve been writing this whole thing. Hi. The cat’s out of the bag. It’s just you and me now. There never was a third person. If you want to know anything about me, just ask. Sorry this wasn’t more informative.

Also my girlfriend has more NCAA trophies than yours.

Manny Sanchez Zayas

Manny was born and raised in the sunny swamps of Florida, where gator wrestling and cow-tipping were a family past time. He originally embarked on his collegiate endeavor to pursue a career as an M.D. (dodged a bullet there), and he first received a Bachelors in Cardiopulmonary Sciences, where he worked in a Cardiac Catheterization Lab for almost 5 years, where he literally saved people’s lives. During that time, he decided to go back to school and complete a second bachelor’s degree in Chemistry when he wasn’t slicing and dicing on the surgery table. He discovered his passion for Chemistry while doing research for Professor Arsalan Mirjafari at Florida Gulf Coast University. There he completed two years of research, designing and synthesizing long chain hydrophobic ionic liquids with low Tg and viscosity. Even though Manny swears he passed his MCAT, he decided that pursuing a Ph.D. in Chemistry was a more fitting career for him. He now has joined the team at UCSB working in the labs of Professors Javier Read de Alaniz and Rachel Segalman and focuses on lighted induced, reconfigurable poly(ionic liquids). When not in the lab, Manny enjoys playing basketball and beach volleyball, going to the beach (even though the water is too cold), video and board games, and ending the day with a nice tall cold one.

Jeffrey Self

Born in the metropolitan utopia of Madrid, Spain, infant-Jeffrey was soon reluctantly moved to Houston, Texas. There, he learned the fine art of avoiding political discussions and fending off swarms of mosquitos. Eventually, fate and fortune landed him at the University of Texas, in Austin. This new face of the old republic redeemed his opinion on the Lone Star state, somewhat. Fueled by a divine concoction of curiosity and purposelessness, he sought out a position in the Mullins research group during his freshmen year. Housed in the McKetta department of Chemical Engineering, Jeffrey’s project involved synthesizing and characterizing earth-abundant metal solar electrodes for photocatalytic water splitting. He drank deep the sweet nectar of scientific discovery, and yet his appetite could not be whet. After a year, he decided to explore the Chemistry department, to better suit his research interests. Here, in Prof. C. Grant Willson’s research group, Jeffrey was first introduced to block copolymer synthesis and self-assembly and the power of friendship. After a half decade spent on two undergraduate degrees and seven co-authored papers, Jeffrey finally arrived at the University of California, Santa Barbara, to pursue a Materials Chemistry PhD under the direction of Profs. Javier Read de Alaniz and Christopher Bates (another Willson alum). Now, an NSF graduate fellow, Jeffrey spends his time equally between working in lab and trying to remember what the world outside of lab looks like. If you’re reading this, please send help. Or a postcard.

Jakkarin Limwongyut

Jakkarin was born and raised on the Korat Plateau where its name was derived from the nickname of Nakhon Ratchasima, the largest province in Northeast Thailand. He went to Suranaree University of Technology for his undergraduate degree. After a year, he eventually decided to pursue a degree in Chemistry where he had only six people in the major in his year! In the summer of his sophomore year, he did a research group rotation with Prof. Albert Shultz. He worked on the modification of screen-printed electrodes for glucose biosensor. But he decided to join Prof. Vinich Promarak’s lab due to his interests in conjugated organic materials. After 21 years of living in his hometown, he moved to Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology in Rayong, Thailand where he conducted his senior research on synthesis of emissive materials for organic light-emitting diodes. Later, he came to Santa Barbara to enjoy nice sunny weather and to start his grad school. He works under the supervision of Profs. Guillermo Bazan and Javier Read de Alaniz on the development of membrane-active conjugated compounds to improve their antimicrobial properties. When he’s not in the lab, he enjoys hiking, traveling (and, of course, exploring food spots!).

Allison Abdilla

Serena Seshadri

Hailing from “just outside of Philly,” Serena quickly learned the ways of arguing in favor of WaWa hoagies and Philadelphia sports teams to anyone who never asks. Escaping the farmlands (I mean, cityscape…) of bucolic Pennsylvania, she ventured to Washington D.C. to pursue degrees in Chemistry and Education, Inquiry and Justice at Georgetown University. Here Serena learned the importance of educational equity as well as scientific inquiry and aims to be able to someday work within public schools to increase access to science education. Working in the solid state organic chemistry lab of Jennnifer Swift, Serena studied the control of crystalline morphology and polymorphism through crystallization on self-assembled monolayers. Three years and several mentors later, Serena’s continued curiosity led her to apply to graduate school to work in the field of organic materials. Promptly aligned with a sharp change in the governmental air quality in D.C., Serena headed to the beautiful blue southern California haven of Santa Barbara. Here she works with Javier Read de Alaniz and Matt Helgeson on the development of photoresponsive materials for control of fluid systems. When not in lab, Serena is making art, waffles and a comprehensive list of places to hang her hammock.

Angelique Scheuermann

Angelique was born and raised in the warm sun of Long Beach, California. Leaving the beach for the Bay, she attended UC Berkeley to pursue her love of chemistry and good Thai food. There, she began her career in undergraduate research at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) at the Molecular Foundry with Dr. Brett Helms. At LBNL, Angelique learned to appreciate the many possible avenues of materials chemistry research and her daily view of the sun setting over the San Francisco Bay. A sucker for accumulating acronyms, Angelique also become an active fellow of the UC Leadership Excellence through Advanced Degrees (UC LEADs) program. Through this program she was given the opportunity to return to her homeland and work for Professor Aaron Esser-Kahn at UCI (now at University of Chicago). That summer, Angelique was introduced the fun that is interfacing organic and polymer chemistry, spending her time synthesizing stretchy polymeric materials and measuring their squish. When it came time to apply to grad school, Angelique realized that her real love lay in the study and synthesis of the squish, and after four “brutal” Berkeley winters she was finally able to return to SoCal and begin graduate studies on the warm beaches of UC Santa Barbara as an NSF graduate fellow under the joint direction of Professor Javier Read de Alaniz and Professor Christopher Bates.  If Angelique isn’t in lab, you’ll find her running, swimming, attending concerts, or practicing headstands in yoga class.

Miranda Sroda

Miranda was born and raised in the bay of Green Bay, WI, the land known for cheese curds and the Green Bay packers. After escaping the harsh winters of the north, she found the sandy beaches of Santa Barbara. Here, her research career started as a formulation engineer at Apeel Sciences, working with Dr. Louis Perez (AKA Lou).  After a summer REU stint with the Read de Alaniz Lab, Miranda knew she would be back to carry out her PhD studies with the group. Keeping busy while finishing her undergraduate degree at the University of California San Diego, she worked at The Scripps Research Institute in the lab of Dr. Keary Engle. Since starting her graduate studies, her research is focused on finding new polymer platforms to exploit the mechanical properties of photochromic materials. Outside of lab, Miranda enjoys spending time with her golden retriever, Piper. 

Ziyue Zhu

Ziyue was born and raised in City of Huangshi, a small town located next to Yangtze River in Hubei Province, China. She grew interest in Chemistry during her senior high school years and after struggling through the huge “University Entrance Examination”, Ziyue headed to Wuhan University to complete her Bachelor’s study. During her 4 years in one of the most Beautiful Universities in China, she joined Prof. Xumu Zhang’s lab in the Green Catalysis Research Institute of Wuhan University where she has been involved in several projects related to phosphine ligands’ design and synthesis for efficient asymmetric hydrogenation. Equipped with basic organic synthesis skills, Ziyue spent her third year’s summer doing internship program with Prof. Thomas Baumgartner in University of Calgary for Phosphole-lipids self-assembly project where she decided to continue study on material science. In the year of 2017, Ziyue finally left her home province for the first time during the previous 22 years and moved to the beautiful and sunny city of Santa Barbara to pursue the PhD degree. She is now supervised by Profs. Guillermo C. Bazan and Javier Read de Alaniz on the development of Non-Fullerene Acceptors targeted for efficient, semi-transparent and eco-friendly (green solvent processible) OPV applications. When not in lab, Ziyue enjoys cooking and watching soccer games (especially FC Barcelona’s!!!).

FRIEDRICH STRICKER

Friedrich was born on a frigid August morning in Berlin where he was to remain cold for the first 18 years of his life. During his teen years he wrote a number of hit songs about the cold weather with his boyband “Fritz and the Schintzels.” Seeking a warm escape after gymnasium, Fritz made his way to Australia where he became a mediocre surfer, skilled kangaroo fighter and fearless snake charmer. After a year down under, he returned to Germany to complete his Bachelors and Masters in biomedical chemistry at Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz and reunite with the Schintzels. In effort to escape another German winter, Fritz travelled to UCSB as a visiting student in September of 2016. Within 6 mere months in warm California, he fell in love with the surf and sun and could no longer stand temperatures below a balmy 80 °F. He vowed to return to the warmth of UCSB after finishing his Master’s – and arrived wide eyed and bushy tailed in the Fall of 2018.

SOPHIA BAILEY

Sophia Jamie Bailey – named after Sofia of Lithuania (the Duchess of Moscow), Dr. James Shaum (laboratory and Sierra Nevada backpacking hero), and Bailey’s Irish Cream – was born on a frigid February morning in the high desert of New Mexico. Early in life she learned to defend herself against the coyotes, cacti and snakes, take solace in desert monsoons and develop an appreciation for (too) spicy food (now a full-blown Hatch green chile addiction). Sophia vowed to avoid as many chemistry courses as possible during her undergraduate studies at New Mexico State University, but upon joining the lab of Professor William A. Maio – where she developed synthetic methods to make non-natural cannabidiol derivatives – she decided organic chemistry was actually quite groovy. With this change of heart, Sophia joined fellow New Mexican, Javier, for her PhD studies in applying organic chemistry to soft materials. While avoiding her endless amounts of lab work, Sophia can be found complaining about the lack of green chile in California, wandering the mountains or arguing with her cat.

Rowina bell

Though Rowina was born in Torrence, CA, she lived in Argentina as a child and grew up enjoying things like riding horses, eating asado and empanadas, and living at the beach. Once she moved with her family to Santa Barbara at age 10, she spent lots of time at the (new) beach, paddleboarding, hiking, and hanging around with friends. She didn’t care much for school until she took a Chemistry 101 course at SBCC and quickly fell in love with the field. She ended up graduating high school early and started taking more chemistry, math, and physics courses at the CC. After a couple of years, she transferred from SBCC to UCSB, where she was finally able to start doing research and she joined Dr. Guillermo Bazan’s group and transitioned into Dr. Javier Read de Alaniz’s group. Coincidentally, she works under Luana Llanes, one of the few Argentinians Rowina knows in the US. After earning a B.S. in chemistry, she hopes to go to graduate school to obtain a Ph.D. in chemistry.

Jose Delgado

Jose was born in Denver, Colorado on a cold fall night in November. Growing up he didn’t do what people typically think Coloradans do: ski or snowboard. Instead he spent his days reading nerdy books or playing outside with his friends and his summers going to Mexico. In high school he was the captain of the soccer team, was soooo popular he won homecoming king and prom king. Papa Gates (Bill Gates) realized how popular he was (and saw that he was kind of smart) so he awarded Jose a ten year full ride scholarship: The Gates Millennium Scholarship. Tired of the cold winters and hot summers in Colorado, he left to Santa Barbara to bask in the sun and tan on the beach. He joined Dr. Read de Alaniz’s lab after getting into the UCSB Mcnair scholars program. Shortly after joining the lab, he decided he wanted to see the world and sailed around the globe visiting 14 countries in 10 months. He’s currently trying to finish his undergrad degree in biology, not chemistry, but when he’s not in lab or in school, he enjoys going on random photoshoots with friends, drawing, not texting people back, and being on Twitter. 

Puck De Roos

Puck grew up in hot and humid Malaysia, where she spent her days fending off monkeys and kimono dragons. For high school her parents moved to sunny NorCal where she spent her days either playing waterpolo, basketball, or running track. She is currently pursuing a Bachelors of Science in Biology with a minor in Professional Writing for Science Communication. She works in Dr. Read de Alaniz’s lab with Allison Abdilla, mainly trying not to blow things up. Along with the lab, on her free time Puck competes for the Division 1 Track and Field team for UCSB as a high jumper/heptathlete. She loves all animals (except cats which are just evil), loves the outdoors, and loves her family.

Sara El-Arid

Sara was born in sunny Santa Clara, California before moving to Granite Bay, California. In Granite Bay Sara discovered two very important things about herself: her love for Chemistry and how much she didn’t want to live in Granite Bay. So off she went to sunny Santa Barbara in hopes of learning to surf and earning her B.S. in Biochemistry, however only one of those things (a degree) seems to be in her near future. Upon completion of her undergraduate degree Sara hopes to attend graduate school in order to pursue her PhD in Chemistry. When not conducting research or studying Sara enjoys painting, hot yoga and baking as many treats for her friends as possible!

MARCUS CONDACURE

Coming from the small, balmy, and maze-like town of Moorpark (spell it backwards), California, Marcus grew up urban-spelunking and avoiding pitfall traps. In high school, he developed a knack for mathematics and dreams of working on applied math problems. Realizing this can be done as an engineer and thinking engineering was a cool-sounding major (but not knowing much else to it), he embarked to UCSB for his four years of chemical engineering. His first step on the lovely UCSB campus was during a short internship in the Summer Institute in Mathematics and Science (SIMS) program. There, he was introduced to undergraduate research in Dr. Gabriel Ménard's lab learning about inorganic catalysis, where he fell in love with the work. Later in his sophomore year, he worked up the courage to ask Javier to shadow his group. As a Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Latinos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) intern in the Read de Alaniz group, Marcus is now learning lab techniques and doping conjugated polymers, which he finds dope. When not working on his project or still wondering what chemical engineering is, Marcus enjoys walking, hiking, playing basketball with friends, and watching movies.