Group

Meet the Team

Apr 22nd, 2023. Updating the group's photo (Agustin is missing in these photos).

Raúl Hernández Sánchez (PI)

2015 Ph.D Chemistry, Harvard University
2012 A.M. Chemistry, Harvard University
2010 B.Sc. Chemistry ITESM Campus Monterrey

G r a d u a t e S t u d e n t s

Victor Espinoza Castro

Victor was born in Sinaloa, Mexico but grew up in Los Angeles, CA. He earned his B.S. degree in Chemistry at California State University, Fullerton (CSUF). As a McNair Scholar at CSUF, he worked in the lab of Dr. Peter de Lijser and studied the reactive intermediates that form from the photooxidation of oxime and oxime ethers. These intermediates can potentially provide a novel synthetic route for the formation of isoindole heterocycles. Over the Summer of 2019, he worked in the lab of Dr. Alina Schimpf at the University of California San Diego (UC San Diego). At UC San Diego, he synthesized polyoxovanadate clusters and frameworks in order to form thin films using polyethylene glycol. He came to the University of Pittsburgh in the Summer of 2020 to pursue his PhD in Chemistry.
vme2@rice.edu

Nghi La

Nghi is originally from Vietnam and earned her B.S degree in Chemistry at Texas Christian University (Fort Worth, TX). During her undergraduate studies, Nghi worked in the lab of Dr. Jeff Coffer, where she did research on synthesizing perovskite-loaded materials and studying their optoelectronic properties for the fabrication of new LEDs. She came to Rice University in the fall of 2021 to pursue her PhD in Chemistry.
nnl1@rice.edu

Saeed Mirzaei

Google scholar profile
Saeed is from Iran and received his BSc in chemistry from Razi University under the supervision of Prof. Taherpour. During his BSc, Saeed has carried out a couple of projects investigating mechanisms of various organic/inorganic reactions using computational techniques. More recently, in collaboration with Prof. Wentrup (The University of Queensland), he studied the mechanism of hydrocarbon rearrangements. He joined Rice University in the fall of 2022 to pursue his PhD degree in Chemistry.
mm232@rice.edu

Manasseh Osei

Manasseh is originally from Ghana and received his bachelors from KNUST in Ghana. He worked in the lab of Prof. Evans Adei and Dr. Richard Tia, where he did quantum chemical calculations on trimethylenemethane and the effects of the installation of heteroatoms on reactivity patterns in the singlet and triplet spin states.
mko5@rice.edu

Lul Sharif

Lul is from Minnesota and received her bachelors in chemistry at Swarthmore College. She worked in the lab of Dr. Kathryn Riley to develop electrochemistry techniques to quantify the dissolution kinetics of LiCoO2 nanoparticles. At Rice, Lul hopes to continue using chemistry to address environmental concerns. In her free time, she likes to play ultimate frisbee, run, and bake. She came to Rice University in the summer of 2022 to pursue her PhD in Chemistry.
ls107@rice.edu

U n d e r g r a d u a t e S t u d e n t s

Mohammad Bilal

Mohammad was born in Tartous, Syria, where he lived before starting his undergraduate studies at Rice University. He is now a sophomore at Brown College, and he expects to graduate in May 2025 with a degree in Chemistry. Prior to joining Rice’s international community, Mohammad was a member of the Syrian International Chemistry Team, where he competed at the International Chemistry Olympiads in 2019 and 2020 in France and Russia. He later went on to coach younger Syrian competitors and develop chemistry content and study tools in Arabic. These experiences sparked his interest in pursuing chemistry research and joining the HSG. He is working with Victor expanding on the synthesis of tubularenes. Mohammad is looking forward to learning from the team at HSG and hopes to eventually pursue graduate studies in chemistry.

Nicholas Figueroa - REU student

I grew up in Grand Rapids, MI and I am a rising junior at Hope College. I am currently pursuing a B.A. in Biology and Japanese Studies. Through a grant from the Michigan Space Grant Consortium (MSGC), I am conducting research under Dr. Natalia González-Pech where I am helping to develop a multifunctional, bimetal oxide cluster of nanoparticles to be used in 'point-of-use' filters for water remediation. I plan on seeking acceptance into an MD/PhD program once I complete my undergraduate degree.

Agustin Valles

Agustin was born in El Paso, Texas and grew up in the bordering city of Juarez, Mexico. He is now a sophomore at Sid Richardson, and he expects to graduate in May 2025 with a degree in Chemistry. Prior to starting his undergraduate career, Agustin competed in the Chemistry Olympiad and founded a Chemistry Club at his high school. He is working with Victor to explore the use of C–H hydrogen bonding anion hosts as electrocatalysts during carbon dioxide reduction.

V i s i t i n g S c h o l a r s

Prof. Natalia Gonzalez-Pech

Dr. Natalia Gonzalez-Pech is originally from Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico. She received her B.S. in Chemistry from Monterrey Tech (ITESM). In 2016, Natalia completed her Ph.D. in Chemistry, in Rice University. Her doctoral research focused on nanomaterials synthesis and characterization, and their applications in water processes. Dr. Gonzalez-Pech did her postdoctoral research at UCSD. Her research focus is in the characterization of metal-containing nanoparticles formed in industrial processes with an emphasis on understanding their health-related effects. Currently, she is an assistant professor at Hope College. Her research group focuses on the development of nanomaterials for water remediation and energy-related applications in a sustainable manner.
ng60@rice.edu

Group Alumni
Former postdoctoral associates
Dr. Edison Castro - Scientist I @PCT Therapeutics, Inc.
Dr. Thomas H. Allen - Senior Development Chemist @Boron Specialties, LLC

Former graduate students
Saber Mirzaei - Postdoctoral researcher in the Yaghi group at UC Berkeley
Swati Arora - Scientist III Process Chemist at Thermo Fisher
Brett Lucht - Graduate student in the Transue Group (Pitt)
Keren Lee - Graduate student in the Hutchison Group (Pitt)
Mohammad Azizur Rahman - Graduate student @WVU
Omri Abarbanel - Graduate student in the Hutchison Group (Pitt)

Former undergraduate students
Gabriella Prieto
Gabriella Belsito
Addison Averill
Emily Nicola
Derek Lamb (BS 2021) - Lab Assistant @Center for Blood Oxygen Transport & Hemostasis, University of Maryland
Bridget Glessner (BS 2020) - Raw Materials Chemist @Eurofins
James Dages (BS 2020) - Quality Control Analyst @Polysciences, Inc.
Madison Keating (BS 2020) - Forensic Scientist @Atlantic Diagnostic Laboratories
Nicolas D'Annunzio (BS 2019) - Research Associate @Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Ryan W. McLane (BS 2019) - Product Optimization Specialist @Thermo Fisher Scientific

Group members