The Team

Brooks Abel (Assistant Professor) grew up in McComb, MS and obtained a B. S. and Ph.D. in Polymer Science from the University of Southern Mississippi. His Ph.D. work under the advisement of Professor Charles McCormick focused on synthesizing stimuli-responsive water-soluble polymers using controlled radical polymerizations. Following his graduate studies, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher with Prof. Geoffrey Coates at Cornell University where he developed catalysts for anionic and cationic ring-opening polymerizations. In July 2021 he joined the Department of Chemistry at UC Berkeley and his independent research interests lie in the areas of polymer chemistry, catalysis, and polymer sustainability.

Zohaib Siddiqi was born in Brooklyn, New York, but was raised in the Bay Area,
California. He pursued his B.S. in chemistry at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor, where he conducted research on melt-cast energetic materials with Professor Adam Matzger and MOF supported homogeneous catalysts with Professor Melanie Sanford. He obtained his Ph.D. in 2023 under Professor David Sarlah at the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, where his work was focused on the dearomative oxidation of aromatic and heteroaromatic compounds, as well the dearomatization of commodity polymers. Afterwards, Zohaib joined the lab of Professor Brooks Abel at the University of California Berkeley, where his work will be focused on developing novel methods for controlled cationic ring opening polymerizations.

Yen Jea Lee originates from Wonju, South Korea. He completed his BS in chemistry at Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, South Korea, and continued his academic journey there, pursuing PhD in Chemistry. His doctoral research centered around developing peptide and peptoid-based systems with the ability to mimic various enzyme functions, encompassing a wide array of applications such as ROS production, water oxidation, magnetic field sensing, and multispin behavior. Following this, Yen became a member of Prof. Brooks Abel’s research group at UC Berkeley, where his focus is directed towards utilizing electron microscopy techniques to investigate the intricate self-assembly of (bio)polymers at the atomic level.

Christina Brancel (fifth year) grew up in Painesville, OH and obtained her B.S. in Chemistry and minor in Physics from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH. There, she worked in the lab of Prof. Gary Wnek to develop poly(vinyl) alcohol substrates for flexible electronics. She also synthesized azadipyrromethene accepters for organic solar cells in the lab of Prof. Genevieve Sauvé. She also interned at Lubrizol in Wickliffe, OH where she helped develop an oil-based corrosion inhibitor and an amine-based hydrogen sulfide scavenger. In her free time, Christina enjoys writing, baking, and playing video games.

Josh Roan (fifth year) is from Frederick, MD and obtained his B.S. in Materials Science and minor in Chemistry at Northwestern University. His research in the lab of Prof. Samuel Stupp was focused on synthesizing and characterizing dynamic peptide amphiphile hydrogels as materials for regenerative medicine and employing self-assembling organic photosensitizers in PET-RAFT polymerization.

Connor Filbin (fourth year) was born and raised in Gardnerville, Nevada – a town just outside of Lake Tahoe. He earned his Bachelor (2020) and Master (2022) of Science degrees in Chemistry from the University of Nevada, Reno. At UNR, Connor worked in the laboratory of Professor Ying Yang where he investigated the photoresponsivity of 2,2’-bipyridines, and their implementation into functional materials. At Berkeley, Connor joined the Abel Lab in the Summer of 2022 to pursue his interests in developing new living polymerization reactions through the lens of sustainability. In his free time, Connor loves attending live sporting events and concerts, hiking, and learning to cook.

Thomas Nedungadan (fourth year) was born and raised in the Bay Area. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry-Molecular Biology from UC Santa Barbara. There, he worked in the lab of Armen Zakarian on enantioselective alkylations of alkynes using chiral lithium amides, as well as the total synthesis of complex alkaloid natural products. When he’s not making monomers or running polymerizations, he enjoys spending time with his cat (Zeus), top roping/bouldering, baking, and binging television shows.

Mary Johnson (third year) obtained her B.S. in Chemistry at Northland College, located on the south shore of Lake Superior. At Northland, she worked in the lab of Prof. Nick Robertson, where she designed chelating polymers for heavy metal separations, optimized hydrogenative depolymerizations of polyesters, and synthesized polyureas via an isocyanate-free route. She also spent a summer at Cornell University in the lab of Prof. Geoffrey Coates to work on anionic ring-opening copolymerizations. She joined the Abel Group to continue exploring her interests in polymer chemistry. In her free time, Mary enjoys the extreme sport of highlining, telemark skiing, and wandering in wetlands and tide pools.

Madison Pugh (third year) is from Akron, OH and obtained her B.S. in Chemistry and secondary major in Environmental Studies from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH.  At CWRU, she worked in the lab of Prof. Geneviève Sauvé where she synthesized azadipyrromethene based non-fullerene acceptors for use in the active layer of organic photovoltaic devices.  In her free time, Madison enjoys hiking, backpacking, and spending time with friends and family.

David Murillo (second year) was born and raised in the High Desert region of California. He obtained his B.S. in Chemistry with a minor in Physics from California State University, San Bernardino after transferring from Victor Valley College. He worked in the lab of Prof. Renwu ‘John’ Zhang researching amorphous, porous organic polymers for hydrogen adsorption. He also spent a summer at MIT in the lab of Prof. Jeremiah A. Johnson researching solid polymer electrolytes. At Berkeley, David joined the Abel group to further his understanding of sustainable polymer science. Outside of the lab, he enjoys cooking, baking, and hiking.

Juanita Echeverry (first year) is from South Florida and obtained her B.S. in Biochemistry with a minor in Linguistics at the University of Florida. During her undergrad, she interned at the Institutut de Chimie des Polymères at the Sorbonne University under Prof. Phillipe Guégan where she synthesized allyl-terminated poly(2-alkyl-2-oxazoline)s with controlled molar masses and compositions for photochemical applications. From there, she returned to Florida to work in the lab of Prof. Brent Sumerlin investigating photoiniferter-mediated polymerization-induced self-assembly (PI-PISA) to synthesize ultra-high molecular weight nanoparticles. These experiences inspired her to continue pursuing research and ultimately joining the Abel group to study the synthesis of polymers. During her free time, she relishes her time with her cat Fifi, goes to to the local CycleBar for some fun spin classes and watches Formula 1 races on race weekends.

Kevin Koo (junior) was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea. He came to the U.S. in 2022 and attended Pasadena City College. He transferred to UC Berkeley in 2024 and is pursuing a B.S. Chemistry major. He’s interested in sustainable materials, polymer chemistry, next-generation battery. His hobbies include playing sports (especially skiing), computer games, cooking.

Rachel DeMerit (sophomore) is from Pasadena, California. Rachel is pursuing a B.S. in Chemistry, with an interest in organic chemistry and polymer synthesis. Outside of the lab she enjoys baking with her friends, playing tennis, and watching movies.