Fu-Sheng Wang - Post-doc
Fu-Sheng was born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan. Being interested in biosensing, he attended National Chiao Tung University in Hsinchu, Taiwan, where he majored in biotechnology and minored in electronic engineering. As a master student, he continued studying biosensing by joining Dr. Tung-Kung Wu’s lab at National Chiao Tung University. Soon after, he sought to broaden his horizon by pursuing a Ph.D degree in chemistry under the supervision of Dr. Chi-How Peng. His research focused on the mechanism of controlled radical polymerization. After graduating, he spent two more years in Dr. Peng’s lab, focusing on using kinetic and thermodynamic simulations to study controlled radical polymerization. Then, he decided to head to the US and join the Zhukhovitskiy group as a postdoctoral researcher. Currently, his research interests lie in the development and the simulation of new polymer materials. When not in lab, he likes reading, cooking, and making cocktails.
Rachael Ditzler - 5th year
Rachael was born and raised in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. She attended Seton Hill University located in Greensburg, PA, where she graduated with honors with a B.S. in chemistry and a double major in mathematics. After completing two REUs at Pennsylvania State University working on complex Pickering emulsions under Dr. Lauren Zarzar and at The University of Southern Mississippi studying hydrogen bonding clusters in bis-MPA based hyperbranched polymers under Dr. Sergei Nazarenko, Rachael decided she preferred living in a more southern climate. She ventured out of PA and moved to the much warmer state of North Carolina where she joined the Zhukhovitskiy group. Outside of the lab, Rachael enjoys playing the violin, crafting, and cooking.
Drake Johnson - 5th year
Drake was born and raised in Mount Pleasant, North Carolina, before joining up with the Wolfpack at NC State University to obtain his B.S. in Chemistry. While there, he worked with Prof. Vincent Lindsay on methods development for the utilization of cyclopropanone reactivity, and with Dr. Walter Weare on the synthesis of BoDiPy dyes for sensing applications. Moving from one vertex of the Triangle to the other, Drake now attends Chapel Hill, working in the Zhukhovitskiy lab; still making molecules, just much bigger ones.
Andrew King - 5th year
Andrew was born and raised in Greensboro, North Carolina. He stayed close to home and obtained his B.S. in chemistry at North Carolina Central University while doing research with Dr. Shawn Sendlinger on exploring the reactivity of chromium(III) bromide. He also spent a summer at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researching low spin iron(II) complexes for XUV spectroscopy with Dr. Gregory Girolami. After graduating, he took the short trip from Durham to Chapel Hill to join the Zhukhovitskiy lab where he is studying conjugated polymer synthesis. He loves cats and watching Carolina beat Duke (down with the devil!), and he enjoys bicycling, hiking, or doing anything outdoors when he isn't in lab.
Ben Kruse - 5th year
Ben was born and raised in West Des Moines, Iowa. He attended Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, where he majored in chemistry and minored in biology. As an undergraduate, Ben worked with Dr. Stephen Gross conducting research on the development of new dental materials. Upon perfecting his smile, he decided to attend graduate school to learn more about polymers. When not in lab, Ben enjoys appearing on House Hunters: International (shown) and brewing his own beer (result shown).
Hilary Fokwa - 4th year
Hilary was born and raised in Cameroon but moved to Northern Virginia in middle school. She attended the University of Richmond where she earned a B.S. in chemistry with a minor in religious studies. During her time at Richmond, she worked on the design and synthesis of unsymmetrical bis(phosphino)pyrrole ligands for nickel catalysis under the supervision of Dr. Miles Johnson. She also worked with the Manoury Lab at the CNRS-LCC in Toulouse, France, on the synthesis and analysis of ferrocene derivatives for polymerization. She is a student in the inorganic division here at Chapel Hill pursuing her passion for organometallic chemistry in the Zhukhovitskiy group. Besides chemistry, Hilary enjoys being in nature, dancing to Afrobeat, singing off-key, and traveling.
Erin Krist - 4th year
Erin was born and raised in Yorktown, Virginia. She attended James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA, where she obtained her B.S. in chemistry. She spent most of her undergraduate career synthesizing inorganic coordination compounds with Dr. Barbara Reisner with a couple of brief forays into materials chemistry by attempting to recycle carbon fiber composites at NASA with Dr. Scott Zavada. After graduating, she decided to head (slightly) south to North Carolina where she joined the Zhukhovitskiy group. When not in lab she enjoys doing cool chemistry demos, reading, crafting, horseback riding, and taking long walks with her dog Erlenmeyer (Earl).
Sam Kaplan - 3rd year
Sam grew up in East Quogue, New York. He attended Case Western Reserve University where he graduated with a B.S. and M.S. in Macromolecular Science and Engineering. During his time at CWRU, he worked under Dr. Valentin Rodionov, working on brush-assisted assembly of silica nanoparticles and electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction. Outside of the lab Sam enjoys scuba diving, fly fishing, and playing rugby.
Sydney Towell - 3rd year
Sydney was born in New Jersey but raised in West Chester, PA. She then moved across the country to obtain her B.S. from Harvey Mudd College. While studying there she worked under Professor Adam Johnson doing various projects related to organometallic catalysis. Now she has come to UNC to pursue her interests at the intersection of polymer and inorganic chemistry. In her free time, she enjoys playing trombone, biking, and doing jigsaw puzzles.
Leah Kosovsky - 2nd year
Leah grew up in Northborough, Massachusetts and stayed in New England to attend Connecticut College. She majored in Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology (BCMB) with a minor in Environmental Studies and a certificate in sustainability from the Goodwin-Niering Center for the Environment (GNCE). As a NOAA Hollings Scholar, she conducted research with Dr. Ashok Deshpande on the chemical characterization of microplastic polymers. Under the supervision of Professor Marc Zimmer, she continued this research in the chemistry department at Connecticut College. After venturing south to UNC for graduate school, she joined the Zhukhovitskiy group to pursue her interest in polymer chemistry. Outside of the lab, she enjoys photography and spending time outdoors with her dog, friends, and family.
Lauren Satkowiak - 2nd year
Lauren was born and raised in Grand Blanc, Michigan, where there are more hot dog stands than sunny days. Her family moved to Clayton, North Carolina when she was in middle school. She earned her B.S. in chemistry with highest honors from UNC Chapel Hill while working with Dr. Michel Gagné on the development of platinum complexes with iodonium-type reactivity. After deciding she couldn’t move back to Michigan, hot dogs and all, she decided to pursue her graduate education at UNC Chapel Hill in the Zhukhovitskiy group. Outside of the lab, Lauren enjoys reading old-timey books, sewing quilts, and befriending older women to acquire new soup recipes.
Mark Jareczek - 1st year
Mark was born and raised in La Grange Illinois, though will just tell you he’s from Chicago, despite being a 20-minute drive from the city. He attended Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) where he earned a bachelor’s in chemistry with a secondary major in educational studies. At WashU, under the advisement of Dr. Jonathan Barnes, he synthesized mechanically interlocked macrocycles (catenanes) for employment as crosslinkers in polymer systems. Mark also worked in chemical education, looking at the development of inclusive practice within chemistry peer-leaders under the supervision of Dr. Gina Frey. After graduating, he left the Midwest in favor of mild winters and exciting work at UNC in the Zhukhovitskiy group. Outside of chemistry, Mark enjoys hiking, Pokémon, and, uniquely, spending quality time with friends and family.
Nathaniel Berney - Post-Baccalaureate
Nathaniel was born in New Orleans, and moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, shortly after Hurricane Katrina hit. After growing up in Raleigh, he attended the University of North Carolina, where he received a B.S. in Chemistry and a minor in Mathematics. Currently, Nathaniel works at AstraZeneca, where he tests and analyzes inhalers. He works in the Zhukhovitskiy group part-time. In his free time, he likes to hike, travel, and compete in weekly trivia.
Isabella Summers - Undergraduate, Class of 2025
Isabella is from just outside London, England. She is studying Chemistry with a focus on polymers. She is one of five daughters, all of whom are ginger. Isabella is a member of the UNC fencing team!
Matt Satkowiak - Undergraduate, Class of 2026
Matt was born in Grand Blanc, Michigan and moved to Clayton, North Carolina in 2011. He graduated from Clayton High School and is currently pursuing a Chemistry degree here at UNC. Outside of lab Matt enjoys golfing, running, spending time with his family! In the future Matt hopes to apply chemistry in ways that can make an impact.