The School of Molecular Sciences degree programs have opened access to students from a wide range of diverse backgrounds, and who have followed quite different pathways into academia. We are proud of our students and their successes, here are some of their stories. We look forward to you joining them and the rest of our community as a chemistry or biochemistry degree student.
Stories
Lakeisha Ramona Brown
BS Biochemistry
Class of 2022
ASU graduate sets sights on cancer research
Ruwaida Jaylani Abshir
BS medicinal biochemistry
Class of 2022
Graduate overcomes barriers for community 
Claire Cerniglia
BS Biochemistry
Class of 2022
Important life lessons learned at ASU 
Holly Hemesath
BS Biochemistry
Class of 2022
School of Molecular Sciences Dean’s Medalist has a passion for coding 
Jasmine Nguyen
BS Biochemistry
Class of 2022
1st-generation ASU grad gains research experience through Biodesign Institute 
Sabrina Mehari
BS Biochemistry
Class of 2022
Transforming distraction into action
Paul Oftedahl
BS Chemistry and Keyboard Performance
Class of 2022
New graduate marries the majors of chemistry and keyboard performance
Michael Kinzler
BS Biochemistry
Class of 2022
US Navy hospital corpsman completes ASU Online degree en route to medical school
Miriam Goras
BS Biochemistry
Class of 2022
SMS grad who lives her passion for STEM rewarded with Fulbright Fellowship
Aaron Jafar Hernandez Flores
BS Chemistry
Class of 2022
School of Molecular Sciences Dean's Medalist is an inspiration to all
Riley Seminara
BS Biochemistry and Chemical Engineering
ASU student awarded inaugural carbon capture scholarship
Lauren Harstad
BS Chemistry
ASU undergrad Lauren Harstad awarded Goldwater Scholarship
Cory Smith
BS Biochemistry
Learn, earn and return: School of Molecular Sciences supports military students
Michael Sauer
Class of 2021
Zorica Gutic
Class of 2021
Serbian native thrives at ASU's School of Molecular Sciences
Miriam Goras
Class of 2022
Lincoln Scholars program engages students in ethics and co-creative learning
David Jacobson
Class of 2020
Tawny Fajardo
Class of 2020
ASU student first author on dynamic water-protein interactions research article
Anthony Pacheco
Class of 2021
Catalina Lopez Jimenez
Class of 2021
From Early Start to graduation, first-generation student makes her way
Nicola Osgood
Class of 2021
ASU School of Molecular Sciences military veteran graduates this summer
Ellen Streitwieser
Class of 2021
Graduating chemistry student’s health resulted in passion for science, remarkable accomplishments
Victoria Froh
Class of 2021
ASU graduate discovers her own degree path through double majors
Bryan Ugaz
Class of 2021
Graduating biochemistry senior credits researchers with his drive for success
David Reed
Class of 2021
ASU graduating senior inspired to become a doctor through son's illness
Sydney Pickett, Eric Do, Jessica Wang, & Gabriella Cerna
Class of 2024
School of Molecular Sciences students reflect on their first semester in the middle of the pandemic
Awed Alenezi
Class of 2020
ASU School of Molecular Sciences graduate shares inspirations
Elinor Sauer
Class of 2020
Stacee Tallman
Class of 2020
Aid to Navajo Nation is aim of talented biochemistry graduate
Sabrina Mango
Class of 2020
Kristofer Gonzalez
Class of 2020
Gabriella Cerna
Class of 2024
American Chemical Society scholar joins ASU School of Molecular Sciences
Jesus Peralta
Class of 2023
Madeleine Howell
Class of 2020
Annmarie and Alison
Class of 2020
Miguel Bahena
Class of 2020
Genesis Navarro
Class of 2020
Early graduate and first-generation student on her path to medical school
Paul Turack
Class of 2020
Tal Sneh
Class of 2021
Chloe Larson
Class of 2022
Oscar Ramos
Class of 2020
Julia Jackman
Class of 2021
Carolyn Clark
Class of 2019
LEAP Scholar awarded School of Molecular Sciences Dean’s Medal
Murtada al Mohsin
Class of 2019
For this ASU grad, the real joy is the journey, not the destination
Kassandra Herndon
Class of 2019
Online biochemistry undergraduate finds academic home at ASU
Katja Klosterman
Class of 2019
Elizabeth Rapacz
Class of 2022
Early Start Program gives first-year student a jump-start on education
Madeleine Howell
Class of 2020
3 students named Goldwater Scholars for excelling at undergraduate research
Ntombizodwa Makuyana
Class of 2019
MasterCard Foundation Scholar, SMS grad inspired to dream bigger
Meilin Zhu
Class of 2019
Sierra Murphy
Class of 2019
Graduate's passion for science and math earns a triple degree — by accident
Connor Vuong
Class of 2019
Biochemistry opportunities at ASU to forge a path to med school
Vanessa Davis
Class of 2019
SMS grad fulfills both her passions as a STEM major and athlete
Zoe Liberman-Martin
Class of 2019
Ryan Muller
Class of 2015
Nick Herringer
Class of 2018
Tyler Rockwood
Class of 2019
Chemistry Scholarship paves way for veteran to earn a 4+1 degree
Charlie Amador
Class of 2020
Gabriel Juarez
Class of 2020
Humza Zubair
Class of 2020
Goldwater Scholarship recipient and Barrett scholar pursues double major
Nan Qiu
Class of 2019
Fascination with chemistry leads to biochemistry degree for SMS senior
Sabrina Leung
Class of 2020
School of Molecular Sciences and Barrett student blends biochemistry, music
Zoe Liberman-Marti
Class of 2019
Art of combining two passions leads SMS senior back to Arizona
Alexis Ramirez
Class of 2018
ASU College of Liberal Arts and Sciences recognizes fall 2018 Dean’s Medalists
Adwa Alhatlan
Class of 2018
Darian Takase
Class of 2018
Diana Francis
Class of 2018
Biochemistry degree lays path for ASU grad to become a pharmacist
Jin Wook Chung
Class of 2018
Family diagnoses inspire Seoul student to become a physician
Matthew Dietz
Class of 2018
Curiosity in science leads to dual major in biochemistry and kinesiology
Charity Bhebhe
Class of 2018
Alexandria Layton
Class of 2018
Logan Tegler
Class of 2018
Victoria Hernandez
Class of 2018
Lyndsay Hess
Class of 2015
ASU graduate aspires to help others by studying the human body
Havell Markus
Class of 2016
ASU graduate looks toward the future of medicine with computational biology
Sidney Covarrubias
Class of 2018
Shannon Sipes
Class of 2018
Therald Moeller Scholarship recipient pursues career as science educator
McKenna Renfro
Class of 2018
ASU chemistry student works to positively impact lives around her
Jacob Jordan
Class of 2018
ASU biochemistry senior spreads love of science and research
Dean's Medal
Holly Hemesath
Class of 2022
Major: Biochemistry
Accomplishments: Hemesath discovered coding as a first-year student in ASU’s School of Molecular Sciences and her math program but quickly moved to develop her own codes for molecular simulations and is now fully invested in the field of computational chemistry. Hemesath is a Barrett, The Honors College student and George M. Bateman Memorial Scholarship winner (fall 2020 and spring 2021) as well as the School of Molecular Sciences' Therald Moeller Scholarship recipient for fall 2022.
Aaron Jafar Hernandez Flores
Class of 2022
Major: Chemistry
Accomplishments: During his time at ASU, he worked in the Anbar/METAL supergroup for three years as a student researcher and rapidly evolved into an advanced researcher performing beyond the capability of many graduate researchers. In January 2022 Flores was awarded the Safety Award for all of the School of Eartha and Space Exploration and in Fall 2021 received a Western Alliance to Expand Student Opportunities grant.
Michael Sauer
Class of 2021
Major: Biochemistry and computational mathematical sciences
Accomplishments: During his time at ASU, he conducted research with Professor Mark Hayes on dielectrophoretic particle capture and bolus sequestration of COVID-19 particles in a microfluidic device. For his outstanding contributions, he has won a number of awards and scholarships from the School of Molecular Sciences.
Ellen Streitwieser
Class of 2021
Major: Biochemistry
Accomplishments: Ellen is an ASU Online student interested in the field of neuroscience and advocating for women in science. She is the founder and president of the Inclusion, Diversity, Education, Advocacy in Science (IDEAS) Student Society, one of the largest student organizations at ASU with over 600 active members.
Elinor Sauer
Class of 2020
Majors: Chemistry (environmental) & biological sciences
Accomplishments: She is a Moeur Award winner, received two prestigious scholarships from the SMS, and a recipient of the NASA space grant fellowship. Sauer was in John Nagy’s research team focusing on the North American pika and worked in Professor Hilairy Hartnett’s Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics lab.
Madeleine Howell
Class of 2020
Major: Chemistry
Accomplishments: Howell has been extensively involved in undergraduate research at ASU in the interfaces of materials chemistry and health and co-authored several peer-reviewed, published papers. She is a Goldwater Scholarship recipient and was awarded the ACS Divisions of Physical Chemistry and Inorganic Chemistry awards from the SMS.
Carolyn Clark
Class of 2019
Major: Biochemistry
Accomplishments: A recipient of the research-focused LEAP Scholarship for transfer students, Clark worked on a Mayo Clinic-funded project involving the synthesis of peptides and another project that aimed to develop artificial amino acids alongside Professor Giovanna Ghirlanda.
Zoe Liberman-Martin
Class of 2019
Major: Chemistry
Accomplishments: Liberman-Martin exited high school planning to become a professional musician. But after earning her associate degree in music and working as an EMT, she landed at ASU. Faculty members praise Liberman-Martin’s natural curiosity, analytical ability, and enthusiasm.
Alexis Ramirez
Class of 2018
Major: Biochemistry (medicinal chemistry)
Accomplishments: As a student in Barrett, The Honors College at ASU, his honors thesis focused on developing a dielectrophoretic method to separate gold nanoparticles.
Jonathan Vie
Class of 2017
Major: Biochemistry
Accomplishments: Vie joined the Marine Corps to help pay for college and has since discovered his passion for teaching. He has been a tutor for high school students while pursuing his degree and is dedicated to helping young students grow in the STEM fields within the Phoenix area.
Patrick Almhjell
Class of 2017
Major: Biochemistry
Accomplishments: Almhjell conducted research in Professor Jeremy Mills’s biochemistry lab and Professor M. Foster Olive’s psychology lab, where he would investigate amino acids and behavioral neuroscience. He maintained a perfect GPA as an honors student and served as a teaching assistant for upper-division chemistry and psychology courses.
Havell Markus
Class of 2016
Majors: Biochemistry, Mathematics
Accomplishments: Markus conducted extensive research as a Helios Scholar in the Center for Noninvasive Diagnostics at the Translational Genomics Research Center and multiple labs at ASU. His research and thesis work were presented in four conferences and resulted in a first author publication in the Journal of Young Investigators.
Sahba Zaare
Class of 2016
Major: Biochemistry
Accomplishments: Zaare was engaged in undergraduate research in the Center for Personalized Diagnostics at the Biodesign Institute. His first publication was accepted by the Journal of Visualized Experiments and he was the recipient of the Hypercube Award and the Merck Index Award.
Hallie Sussman
Class of 2015
Major: Biochemistry
Accomplishments: Sussman worked in Professor Neal Woodbury’s laboratory at the Biodesign Institute on projects involving photosynthetic reaction centers as part of her honors thesis. She is expected to be a co-author on at least one of the papers that result from the research and is the recipient of the SMS Biochemistry Award.
Goldwater
The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation was established by Congress in 1986 to serve as a living memorial to honor the lifetime work of Senator Barry Goldwater, who served his country for 56 years as a soldier and statesman, including 30 years in the U.S. Senate. By providing scholarships to college sophomores and juniors who intend to pursue research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering, the Goldwater Foundation is helping ensure that the U.S. is producing the number of highly-qualified professionals the Nation needs in these critical fields.
2022: Lauren Harstad
Field of Study: Chemistry
Career Goal: Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry. Planning to pursue a research career in the pharmaceutical industry.
Read her story
2020: Tal Sneh
Field of Study: Biochemistry and Physics;
Career Goal: Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering. Apply nanotechnology as a professor at a university to develop affordable tools that address diagnostic and therapeutic challenges in the field.
Read his story
2020: Alexis Hocken
Field of Study: Chemical engineering with a minor in biochemistry
Career Goal: Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering. Conduct research in nanomaterials for biomedical applications.
2019: Madeleine Howell
Field of Study: Chemistry
Career Goal: Ph.D. in Physical and Biological Chemistry. Develop technologies for ultrafast and non-invasive imaging to answer fundamental biological and chemical questions as research faculty at a university.
Read her story
2018: Meilin Zhu
Field of Study: Biochemistry
Career Goal: Ph.D. in Biological Engineering. Conduct research in global health engineering with an emphasis on point of care technologies and teach at a university.
2018: Humza Zubair
Field of Study: Biochemistry
Career Goal: Ph.D. in biochemistry and biological sciences. Teach and conduct research to advance scientific knowledge.
2014: Ryan Yue Muller
Major(s): Biochemistry, Molecular/Cellular Biology
Career Goals: Ph.D. in Synthetic Biology. Conduct research in biotechnology and teach at the university level.
2011: John Benjamin Ingraham
Major(s): Biochemistry, Applied Mathematics
Career Goal: Ph.D. in Computational Biology. Conduct research in genetic and cell regulatory processes and teach at the university level.
2011: Michael James Kenney
Major(s): Chemistry
Career Goal: Ph.D. in Chemistry. Conduct research in solar energy and teach at a university.
2011: Erik Stout
Major(s): Biochemistry, Economics
Career Goal: Ph.D. in Neuroscience. Conduct research in spinal cord regeneration and neuronal plasticity or brain- machine interfacing.
2009: Joshua Ryan Niska
Major(s): Biochemistry
Career Goal: M.D./Ph.D. in Cancer Biology. Conduct cancer research in both laboratory and clinical settings, and teach at the university/medical school level.
2009: Charles Benjamin Strauber
Major(s): Biochemistry/Linguistics
Career Goal: Ph.D. in Neuroscience. Conduct research on the neural bases of language, learning, and development, and teach at the university level.
2008: Charlene Bashore
Major(s): Biochemistry
Career Goal: Ph.D. in Chemical Biology. Conduct research in biomedical science, particularly cancer research.
2008: Lara Cardy
Major(s): Biochemistry/Speech and Hearing
Career Goal: Ph.D. in Neuroscience. Teach at the university level and conduct research regarding the neurological underpinnings of developmental disorders, specifically Autism Spectrum Disorders.
2006: James J. Cronican
Major(s): Biochemistry
Career Goal: Ph.D. in Biochemistry. Conduct research work on uncharacterized proteins, detailing the fundamental principles of enzyme catalysis for the purpose of applying this knowledge to address needs that exist now or in the future.
2006: Shannon P. Fortin
Major(s): Biochemistry
Career Goal: M.D./Ph.D. in Biochemistry/Computational Mathematics. Conduct research with an emphasis in cancer cell biology, integrating a clinical perspective.
Award Recipients
2022-2023
Scholarships
George M. Bateman Memorial Scholarship | Bailey Holmes, Chemistry
Therald Moeller Scholarship | Holly Hemesath,
Biochemistry
Wayne W. Luchsinger Chemistry Scholarship | Viktoriya Looper,
Biochemistry
John Holloway Undergraduate Scholarship | Ikumi Ellis, Chemistry (Environmental)
Edward B. Skibo Memorial Scholarship | Andrew Garcia, Biochemistry
Arizona Society for Coatings Technology Scholarship | Bryan Lau, Chemistry
Ted Brown Memorial Scholarship | Odino Kesse Amedjrovi, Biochemistry
SMS First Generation Scholarship | Aleaha Evans,
Biochemistry
SMS Veterans Scholarship | Michael Steiger,
Biochemistry
SMS Scholarship | Aidan McClure,
Chemistry (Environmental)
Martin Hudson Scholarship | Riley Seminara, Biochemistry
Awards
Spring 2022 SMS Dean’s Medalist | Aaron Jafar Hernandez Flores, Chemistry
Distinguished Biochemistry Merit Award | Edgar Ferrer, Biochemistry (Medicinal)
Distinguished Biochemistry Merit Award | Kira Devore, Biochemistry (Medicinal)
Distinguished Chemistry Merit Award | Paul Oftedahl, Chemistry
SAACS Organic Achievement Award | Garrett Storey, Chemistry
ACS Division of Organic Chemistry Undergraduate Award | Christopher O'Connor, Chemistry
ACS Division of Inorganic Chemistry Undergraduate Award | Nadya Soekardono, Chemistry
Royal Society of Chemistry Certificate of Excellence | Emil Ljunberg, Biochemistry
2022 Goldwater Scholarship | Lauren Harstad, Chemistry
2021-2022
Scholarships
George M. Bateman Memorial Scholarship | Rylee James, Chemistry
Therald Moeller Scholarship | Miriam Goras,
Biochemistry
Wayne W. Luchsinger Chemistry Scholarship | Ryan Korinek,
Biochemistry
John Holloway Undergraduate Scholarship | Gabriella Cerna, Biochemistry
Edward B. Skibo Memorial Scholarship | Lauren Harstad, Chemistry
Arizona Society for Coatings Technology Scholarship | Ethan Kelly Padilla, Biochemistry
Ted Brown Memorial Scholarship | Hilary Simpson, Biochemistry (Medicinal Chem)
SMS Women in Science Scholarship | Kristen Krip,
Biochemistry
SMS First Generation Scholarship | Missy Tran,
Biochemistry
SMS Veterans Scholarship | Cory Smith,
Biochemistry
SMS Scholarship | Chloe Gallello,
Biochemistry (Medicinal Chem)
Awards
Spring 2021 SMS Dean’s Medalist | Ellen Streitwieser, Biochemistry
Distinguished Biochemistry Merit Award | Jack St. Peter, Biochemistry
Distinguished Chemistry Merit Award | Cole Graham, Chemistry (Environmental)
SAACS Organic Achievement Award | Ahlea Reyes, Chemical Engineering
ACS Division of Organic Chemistry Undergraduate Award | Bryan Ugaz, Biochemistry
ACS Division of Inorganic Chemistry Undergraduate Award | Madeline Alzamora, Chemistry
Royal Society of Chemistry Certificate of Excellence | Waris Anderson, Biochemistry
2020-2021
Scholarships
George M. Bateman Memorial Scholarship | Holly Hemesath, Biochemistry
Therald Moeller Scholarship | Bryan Ugaz, Biochemistry
Wayne W. Luchsinger Chemistry Scholarship | Tia Swenty, Biochemistry
John Holloway Undergraduate Scholarship | Elinor Sauer, Chemistry (Environmental)
Edward B. Skibo Memorial Scholarship | Tal Sneh, Biochemistry (Medicinal Chemistry)
Goldwater Scholarship | Tal Sneh, Biochemistry (Medicinal Chemistry)
Arizona Society for Coatings Technology Scholarship | Brian Clark, Chemistry
Ted Brown Memorial Scholarship | Sam Bakotich, Biochemistry
SMS Women in Science Scholarship | Madeleine Zheng, Biochemistry
SMS Women in Science Scholarship | Madeline Alzamora, Chemistry
SMS Women in Science Scholarship | Elle Streitweiser, Biochemistry
SMS First Generation Scholarship | Jesus Peralta, Biochemistry
SMS Veterans Scholarship | Anthony Pacheco, Biochemistry
SMS Scholarship | David Reed, Biochemistry
Awards
Spring 2020 SMS Dean’s Medalist | Madeleine Howell, Chemistry
Fall 2020 SMS Dean’s Medalist | Elinor Sauer, Chemistry (Environmental)
Distinguished Biochemistry Merit Award | Sabrina Leung, Biochemistry
Distinguished Biochemistry Merit Award | Alexis Nichols, Biochemistry (Medicinal Chemistry)
Distinguished Biochemistry Merit Award | Paul Turack, Biochemistry
Distinguished Chemistry Merit Award | David Flesher, Chemistry
SAACS Organic Achievement Award | Anne Mcdaniel, Biochemistry
ACS Division of Organic Chemistry Undergraduate Award | Ellen Streitwieser, Biochemistry
ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry Undergraduate Award | William Knight, Chemistry (Environmental)
ACS Division of Inorganic Chemistry Undergraduate Award | Matthew Duplissa, Chemistry
ACS Division of Physical Chemistry Undergraduate Award | Brock Leland, Chemistry
Royal Society of Chemistry Certificate of Excellence | Holly Hemesath, Biochemistry