Group Members
6th Year Grad Students
Always Cheesin'
Sergio Lovera graduated from Cal Poly Pomona in 2016 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Chemistry. During his time there he worked under Dr. James Rego in developing syntheses of organic molecules as Liquid Crystals. In the summer of 2017 he joined the research group of Dr. Vincent Lavallo at the University of California, Riverside, where he is currently working toward his Ph.D. in Chemistry. His projects involve the syntheses of functionalized carborane anions and their applications as solid state electrolytes.
Email: slove002@ucr.edu
5th Year Grad Students
Aaron's Long Beard Phase
Aaron Gregory grew up in Banning, California. He transferred from Mt. San Jacinto Community College in 2018 to UCR where he completed his B.S. in Chemistry. He is a Ph.D. candidate with an emphasis in synthetic inorganic chemistry and the leader of the lab's "Team Carbene". In his free time, Aaron likes to play video games and bust out his Kobe moves on the basketball court.
Email: agreg006@ucr.edu
Mr. Mustachio
Stephen Proctor obtained his B.S. in Chemistry at CSU Chico in 2020 where he worked under Dr. Lisa Ott on the implementation of acidic deep eutectic mixtures as substitutes for solvents and strong acids. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate with a focus on electrolyte design utilizing carborane anions. In his free time, Stephen likes to shred the gnar, spend time with friends, and play the piano and guitar.
Email: sproc007@ucr.edu
3rd Year Grad Students
PPE Warrior
Luke Jackson obtained his B.S. in Chemistry at UC Merced in 2022 and is currently a Ph.D. candidate on Team Carbene. His focus entails designing ligands and creating novel organometallic reactions for catalysis and small molecule activation. In his free time, Luke likes to play video games and piano.
Email: ljack030@ucr.edu
Undergraduates
Safety Officer &
The Assistant
Zack Hughes (left) is a 4th year biochemistry major who enjoys tennis and rock climbing in his free time.
Vishal Athota (right) is a 4th year bioengineering major and is currently president of two UCR organizations: InterVarsity Christian Fellowship Club, and Pokemon Club. While he is currently a bioengineering major, he plans to attend medical school after his bachelors.
Thing 1!
Kathy Espinoza Morelos is a 3rd year chemical engineering major who enjoys gymming (max 420 on the squat rack), fostering cats, playing minecraft, and spending time with friends. After her undergrad years, she would like to go into research.
& Thing 2!
Nico Coronel is a 3rd year environmental science major who enjoys skating, working on cars, dirt biking, and visiting the snow.
T Dub
Tony Wang is a 4th year chemistry major working on Team Carbene and enjoys video games in his free time.
Nate Dawg
Nathan Singh Brar is a 2nd year Biology Major on a pre-med track who enjoys gaming, music, Motorsport, basketball and going to the gym.
Ab-Soul
Abhishta Umesh is a 3rd year biology major with intentions of going to medical school. Originally from India, Abhishta found interest in linguistics and now speaks 5 languages! In his free time, he enjoys watching TV shows with friends, meeting new people, and cracking dad jokes.