PhD Students

My name is Prosper Wiredu Ackah, originally from Ghana in West Africa where I had my high school education at Asankragwa Senior High School (Asanco) in 2006. After high school, I worked in a Chines based company known as Sunda Ghana Ltd, in Accra the capital of Ghana between 2006 to 2010. In January 2010, I moved to Worcester Massachusetts in United State. I started my college education in September of 2012 at Worcester State University and completed in May 2016 with a bachelor in Biotechnology (Major) and a Minor in Chemistry. While finishing up my degree at Worcester state, I applied to ...

I am new Chemistry/Biochemistry Department PhD candidate working with Robert Dempski's lab. I received my undergraduate degree from Quinnipiac University in Biomedical Sciences in 2016. Currently we are working with oocytes from Xenopus laevis frogs in combination with electrophysiology to study various transporter proteins.

Initially focused on biotechnology during my undergraduate degree, I slowly transitioned into studying chemistry in my later years of college. During my master's degree, I pursued a computational project focused on elucidating the reaction mechanism of nitroxyl and GAPDH via molecular mechanics calculations.

Alex completed his B.S. in Chemistry at Worcester State University where he studied organometallic chemistry with Jeremy R. Andreatta Ph.D. The focus of his research was on Lewis acid-base binding of pyridine to boryl-functionalized metallocenes for the purpose of C-H activation. His current studies at WPI are on the passivation and secondary functionalization of Si(111) surfaces. Secondary functionalizions include moieties which would promote interfacial adhesion and efficient charge carrier transport in tandem-junction configurations.

"Once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

I attended Worcester State University for undergrad where I worked with Dr. Margaret Kerr on C-H bond activation using Cp*Ir catalysts. Throughout undergrad I worked as a Peer Assisted Learning mentor helping students in their chemistry courses and spent two summers as an intern at Alkermes in Waltham, MA. After starting at WPI in 2018 I joined Shawn Burdette's lab and began working on the development of photocaged complexes for studying Zn(II) signaling.

I’m a member of the Scarlata lab and I study RNA-protein interactions in neuronal cells.

I am a fourth year Organic Chemistry PhD Candidate and Teaching Assistant at WPI. I graduated from St. Anselm College in May 2017 where I majored in Chemistry. During my time as an undergraduate, I founded the Astronomy and Physics Club as well as studied abroad in Paris for an intensive language course at l'Institut catholique de Paris. When I'm not in the lab or teaching, my hobbies include marathon training and hiking somewhere in the White Mountains.

I obtained my Bachelor Degree of food science from University College Cork in Ireland 2013. After that, I went to The University of Nottingham and achieved my Master Degree of food production and management. Before came to WPI, I spent one year in Shi lab learning material science at Beijing University of Chemical Technology. Now I am a fourth year PhD student working in Dempski group and my research direction is to study the mechanism of human zinc transporter, hZIP4.

As an undergraduate I studied the photoacoustic effect in ethylene gas and later worked on a project aimed at isolating a key cyclometallated intermediate believed to exist within a known Co III C-H activation mechanism. I love the outdoors: fishing, camping, hiking, boating, name it. My favorite hobby is discovering new hobbies. As such, I enjoy: guitar, video games, woodworking, writing, martial arts, D&D, and reading. When working or studying, I've found that I accomplish more when I'm being yelled at; hence why some of my favorite bands to listen to are Gojira, Rings of Saturn, Tool, ...

Ran cross country and track at Utica College then transitioned into coaching track and field at WPI for the last 4 years. Still an avid runner and now a powerlifter.

I am currently working with the ME department on methods for optical sensing and quantitative imaging technology. I am currently specializing in spectroscopic methods of analysis, optical design, and photochemistry.

I completed a BTech in Science Laboratory Technology with specialization in Analytical Chemistry in 2018. I am currently enrolled in the Biochemistry graduate program at WPI. I am interested in biochemistry because it allows scientist to interrogate and understand complex biological process in organism by applying principles that are fundamentally chemistry-based. With this interest, I decided to join the Olsen lab where I have the opportunity to use advanced mass spectrometry to understand membrane dynamics. The graduate program in WPI offers an excellent research training that is intense, ...

I graduated from Guangdong Ocean University with an MS in food science in 2016. My master thesis involved preparing bioactive peptides from oysters and investigating memory enhancement effects utilizing neurobehavior tools. I then joined the functional foods industry for 3 years. However, I want to further my studies and to pursue a scientific career. I chose to join Argüello’s lab in 2019 and began my adventures unraveling the mechanisms of copper homeostasis in Pseudomonas aeruginosa which play key roles in bacterial virulence. Besides science, I enjoy music and playing guitar. Metal is my ...

I'm a current Ph.D. candidate in Chemistry and Biochemistry Department at WPI. I graduated from Nankai University in 2006 with a bachelors in Materials Chemistry. After graduation, I went to work at KUMHO China Technical Center for 6 months. I then returned to Nankai University where I obtained a masters degree in 2010. I worked at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia as a research assistant for two years before moving to WPI in 2012 and joining the Burdette group.

I graduated from Jilin university majoring in chemistry. During my undergraduate period, I primarily worked in the State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, and I was mainly engaged in the synthesis and performance research of organic photoelectric materials in Pro. Hongyu Zhang's lab. I chose to join Musacchio's lab in 2020 and began my scientific adventure. our group seek to expand the utility of radical chemistry at the intersection of synthetic organic chemistry and chemical biology through new reaction development, bioconjugation strategies, and biocatalysis.