Enver Cagri Izgu
(Enver Çağrı İzgü)
Associate Professor, Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University – New Brunswick, USA
Member of Cancer Pharmacology Program, Rutgers Cancer Institute
Member of Center for Lipid Research, Rutgers University, New Brunswick
Postdoc, Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital, USA
Research: Replication of genetic information, systems chemistry of protocells
Advisor: Dr. Jack W. Szostak
Ph.D., University of Minnesota, USA
Research: Total synthesis of alkaloids, synthetic method development, NMR spectroscopy
Advisor: Dr. Thomas R. Hoye
B.Sc., Middle East Technical University (METU), Turkiye
Research: Asymmetric Catalysis
Advisor: Dr. Ozdemir Dogan
Honors and Awards
Maximizing Investigators' Research Award, NIH – National Institute of General Medical Sciences
Interstellar Initiative – Early Career Investigator, The New York Academy of Sciences and Japan Agency for Medical Research
and Development
Trailblazer Award, NIH – National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
Institutional Research Grant Early Investigator Award, American Cancer Society
Charles and Johanna Busch Biomedical Grant Award, Rutgers University
Arthur Klorfein Scholarship, Marine Biological Laboratory
Highest Distinction, Ranked #1 in Chemistry, METU
Young Scientist Award (National Scholarship Program), The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkiye
Han Zhang
Postdoctoral Fellow
Ph.D., The Pennsylvania State University
M.Sc., Peking University
B.Med., Peking University
Super-resolution imaging
Medicinal chemistry and drug development
Molecular biosensors
Han Zhang earned his bachelor's degree in Medicine and his master's degree in Medicinal Chemistry from Peking University. He then moved to Pennsylvania State University to conduct his Ph.D. studies in Chemistry. At Penn State, his research focused on the design and synthesis of fluorescent ligands and chemical tools for super-resolution microscopy. Outside the lab, he enjoys mountain biking and spending time with his family and his cat, Paopao.
Dorsa Ebrahimi
Graduate Student
M.Sc., Alzahra University
B.Sc., Kharazmi University
Functional nucleic acids systems
Molecular biosensors
Synthetic biology
Dorsa earned her bachelor's degree in Applied Chemistry from Kharazmi University and her master's in Organic Chemistry from Alzahra University in Tehran, Iran. Under the guidance of Dr. Ghodsi Mohammadi Ziarani, she delved into the intricate realm of multicomponent reactions, integrating organic compounds into synthetic methodologies to create advanced catalysts and precision-engineered chemosensors.
Melih Baci
Graduate Student
M.Sc., Texas A & M University
B.Sc., Bilkent University
Surface functionalization, biomaterials
Microbiology
Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Development
Melih obtained his bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Bilkent University, Turkiye. In his first year of undergrad education, he successfully competed in the International Chemistry Olympiad in London. He then moved to Texas A&M University and earned his Master's degree by studying metal-organic frameworks for the capture and degradation of organic pollutants.
Sarah Cho
Graduate Student
M.Sc., Montclair State University
B.Sc., Montclair State University
Molecular and cellular biology
Molecular biosensors
Sarah graduated from Montclair State University with both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry, with a focus on biochemistry. She has a strong background in enzymology and hopes to become a professor of biochemistry to help students better understand the complexities of anatomical systems at the molecular level. In her spare time, Sarah enjoys traveling, cooking, and avoiding heights at all costs.
Xinyi (Cindy) Miao
Graduate Student
B.Sc., Davidson College
Functional nucleic acids systems
Targeted therapeutics
Synthetic biology
Cindy graduated from Davidson College with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry (Biochemistry track). She has previously studied amine transaminases, NRAS palmitoylation systems, and mechanisms for bacterial transcription termination. Horticultural therapy is her favorite means of stress reduction.
Ryan Lee
Graduate Student
Designer bio(macro)molecules
Targeted therapeutics
Synthesis and biochemistry of lipids
B.Sc., Purdue University
Ryan received his B.Sc in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Purdue University, where he worked on gem-difluoroalkene functionalization and synthetic methodology under the guidance of Ryan Altman. Originally from New Jersey, Ryan is an avid beach go-er and bagel connoisseur. In his free time, you can catch Ryan at home overfeeding his labrador retriever, at the gym, or at his local Wawa.
Kousik Rana
Graduate Student
Designer bio(macro)molecules
Targeted therapeutics
Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Development
B.Sc., Vidyasagar University
M.Sc., IIT, Bombay
Kousik, born in West Bengal, India, completed Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Vidyasagar University and pursued a Master of Science in Chemistry at the IIT Bombay. His master’s project focused on organic functional materials and supramolecular chemistry, with emphasis on the synthesis and substituent-dependent liquid crystalline behavior of Blatter radicals. Following his master’s degree, Kousik worked as a Project Intern at the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, where his research involved the synthesis of circularly polarized luminescence materials through co-assembly with achiral NMI derivatives. Outside academics, he enjoys travelling, cricket and football, reading, music, and movies.
Anuva Joshi
Undergraduate Student
Biotechnology
Rutgers University – New Brunswick
Small-molecule modulators of signaling
Chemistry – biotechnology interface
Supported through the Women in Science and Engineering Program.
Anuva is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology in the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. She will be working with us as a project SUPER student aiming to gain experience in scientific research. Anuva has a long-term interest in clinical research and the treatment of genetic diseases. She enjoys painting and backpacking.
Bugzie Wong
Undergraduate Student
Chemistry
Rutgers University – New Brunswick
Small-molecule modulators of signaling
Chemistry – biotechnology interface
Supported through the Women in Science and Engineering Program.
Bugzie is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry at Rutgers University’s School of Arts and Sciences. They will be working with the Izgu Lab through the SUPER Research Program to gain hands-on research experience. Bugzie is passionate about learning and hopes to pursue research in chemistry-related fields in the future. Outside of academics, they enjoy creating art, music, and video game assets.
Nofer Tadros
Undergraduate Student
Genetics
Rutgers University – New Brunswick
Small-molecule modulators of signaling
Molecular biosensors
Nofer is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Genetics at Rutgers University’s School of Arts and Sciences. In our group, he will contribute to the development of molecular probes and degraders while building a strong foundation in experimental research. His long-term interests lie in clinical research and molecular biology, with the goal of applying these approaches to advance the treatment of disease. In his spare time, he enjoys playing guitar.
Anushri Meruva
Undergraduate Student
Biotechnology
Rutgers University – New Brunswick
Functional nucleic acids systems
Chemistry – biotechnology interface
Supported through the Women in Science and Engineering Program.
Anushri is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology at Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. Her research interests that align with the chemical biology program focus primarily on the plasmid vectors and testing of experimental biosensors. In her prior training, she gained biochemistry lab skills such as performing PAGE, Western Blotting, Southern Blotting, and Statistical Analysis.
Alumni
Postdoctoral Fellows
Zhaojun (John) Jia
(2019–2021)
Ph.D., Peking University
Rhia Stone
(2020–2022)
Ph.D., The University of Queensland
Huseyin Erguven
(2020–2022)
Ph.D., McGill University
Graduate Students
Ruchi Yadav
(2018–2019)
M.Sc., IIT, Bombay
Bryan Gutierrez
(2017–2023)
B.Sc., Pacific Lutheran University
Kern Hast
(2019–2023)
B.E., University of Florida
Tushar Aggarwal
(2017–2023)
M.Sc., IIT, Bombay
Mark Dresel
(2023–2024)
B.Sc., University of Minnesota
Liming Wang
(2020–2025)
B.Sc., Peking University
Undergraduate Students
Thaybeth I. Malavé Méndez
(RISE Fellow, Summer 2018)
B.Sc., Chemistry, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras
Dylan Schroeder
(2017–2019)
B.Sc., Environmental & Biological Sciences, Rutgers
Jiayu Zhang
(2017–2019)
B.Sc., Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Rutgers
Kyle White
(2018–2019)
B.Sc., Environmental & Biological Sciences, Rutgers
Emmanuel F. Rivera Iglesias
(RISE Fellow, Summer 2019)
B.Sc., Chemistry, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras
Bhavya Shah
(2017–2019)
B.Sc., Environmental & Biological Sciences, Rutgers
George Guanga
(2019–2020)
B.Sc., Chemical & Biochemical Engineering, Rutgers
Camden De Sanctis
(2021)
B.Sc., Biological Sciences
Rutgers
Sammy Hansali
(2022)
B.Sc., Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Rutgers
Jonathan Hong
(2019–2021)
B.Sc., Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers
Tian You
(2018–2019)
B.Sc., Chemistry
Jilin University, China
Caitlin Yeung
(2020–2022)
B.Sc., Biochemistry
Rutgers
David Dejoz
(2022–2023)
B.Sc., Chemistry
University of Valencia
Hakan Guven
(2022–2023)
B.Sc., Chemistry, Rutgers
Zayna Bajwa
(2022–2023)
B.Sc., Environmental & Biological Sciences, Rutgers
Haia Mohsen
(2023)
B.Sc., Molecular & Cellular Biology, UC Berkeley
Aditya Sivakumar
(2023–2024)
B.Sc., Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Rutgers
Shuvon Islam
(2024)
Pharm.D., Pharmacy, Rutgers
Bridget Broncales
(2024)
Pharm.D., Pharmacy, Rutgers
Serena Yee
(2024)
B.Sc., Biotechnology and Microbiology, Rutgers
Monique Robinson
(2024)
B.Sc., Mechanical Engineering Biology, Rutgers
Ibraheem Akhtar
(2024–2025)
Neuroscience, Rutgers
Nandini Natarajan
(2025)
Bioengineering, Rutgers
Yuhyun Kim
(2024–2025)
B.Sc., Chemistry, Rutgers
High School Students
Anton Krotenok
(Summer 2018)
Woodbridge Academy for Allied Health and Biomedical Sciences
ACS Project SEED
Muhammad Sharaf
(Summer 2019)
Edison High School
ACS Project SEED
Mei Kim
(Summer 2022)
Edison High School
ACS Project SEED
Aisha Mansoor
(Summer 2019)
Franklin High School
ACS Project SEED
Naiya Bharvard
(Summer 2023)
The Lawrenceville School
ACS Project SEED
Mahazabin Akther
(Summer 2023)
Piscataway High School
ACS Project SEED
Oscar Wong
(Summer 2024)
Dr. Ronald E. McNair Academic High School High School
ACS Project SEED
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