PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Emily L. Que
[email protected] CV (updated May 2020) Emily joined the faculty in the Department of Chemistry at UT Austin in the summer of 2014. Her research lies at the intersection of bioinorganic chemistry and chemical biology, with an emphasis on the development of chemical tools and probes to gain a deeper understanding of biological systems. Projects in Metals in Medicine and Metals in Biology are the current focus of the lab. Emily graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2004 where she performed undergraduate research in bioinorganic chemistry and materials chemistry in the laboratories of Prof. Larry Que and Prof. Andreas Stein respectively. Her research interests took Emily to the University of California at Berkeley for graduate school where she worked for Prof. Chris Chang. There, Emily developed a series of Gd-based contrast agents for copper sensing applications. For her work in the Chang lab, she was awarded the ACS Division of Inorganic Chemistry Young Investigator Award in 2010. Emily then moved to Northwestern University, where she joined the labs of Prof. Tom O'Halloran (chemistry) and Prof. Teresa Woodruff (reproductive biology). There, she developed new imaging tools and methods for exploring how the mammalian egg utilizes zinc at the time of fertilization. This collaborative project involved close interactions with chemists, reproductive biologists, electron microscopists, and many scientists at the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Lab. |
POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCHERS
Noushaba Mafy, Ph.D.
January 2021 to present Mafy is from Bangladesh where she accomplished her undergraduate and master’s in Chemistry, University of Dhaka. Under the supervision of Professor Nobuyuki Tamaoki, she had finished her doctoral course in the Department of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Japan. Afterwards, joined Takeuchi Group in National Institute for Materials Science, Japan as a postdoctoral researcher. In Que lab, Mafy wants to develop smart optochemical tool to visualize and control the function of metalloenzymes and uncover the metalloenzyme related biological processes. She loves travelling, listening to music, and eating. |
Raphael Ryan, Ph.D.
August 2021 to present Raphael was born and raised in northeast Ohio and got his bachelor’s degree from Kent State University (KSU) in 2014. During his time at KSU, he did a mixture of analytical and organic chemistry. Upon his graduation from KSU, he worked for The Lubrizol Corporation synthesizing polyurethane dispersions. Following his experience in industry, he obtained his PhD at the University of Kentucky under the guidance of John Selegue and Edith (Phoebe) Glazer. His dissertation work focused on the synthesis and the anticancer properties of ruthenium complexes. In the Que lab, Raphael investigates new redox-active fluorine MRI agents. When not in the lab, Raphael spends his time playing the guitar, listening to music, practicing karate, and collecting books he will never finish. |
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Dan Cooke
October 2018 to present Dan was born and raised on Long Island, New York and got his bachelor's in chemistry at SUNY Binghamton, where he synthesized MOF-incorporated nanofibers for catalysis reactions. In the Que lab, Dan hopes to combine nanochemistry with small molecule synthesis to develop novel MRI probes. In his free time, Dan likes to play guitar, listen to music and run. |
Dongkyun Gil
January 2024 to present
email
Kyun is from Seoul, South Korea. He is currently pursuing his M.S. in Chemistry at Seoul National University of Science and Technology, where he received his B.S. in Chemistry. In the Que Lab, Kyun aspires to gain more knowledge and experience in bioinorganic chemistry while studying MRI contrast agents to target metal ions. In his free time, he enjoys binge-watching drama series, drinking beer, and attending ice hockey games.
January 2024 to present
Kyun is from Seoul, South Korea. He is currently pursuing his M.S. in Chemistry at Seoul National University of Science and Technology, where he received his B.S. in Chemistry. In the Que Lab, Kyun aspires to gain more knowledge and experience in bioinorganic chemistry while studying MRI contrast agents to target metal ions. In his free time, he enjoys binge-watching drama series, drinking beer, and attending ice hockey games.
Dorothea Hudson
October 2021 to present
email
Dorothea was born and raised in Huntsville, Texas. For her undergraduate degree, she attended Sam Houston State University where she majored in Chemistry and Biology and worked in Dr. Christopher Zall's lab synthesizing and characterizing transition metal catalysts for the hydrogenation of CO₂ and their metal-hydride intermediates. In the Que lab, she is interested in developing fluorescent probes for tracking metalloprotein metalation state. In her free time, Dorothea likes bird-watching, hiking, playing board games, and trying new foods :)
October 2021 to present
Dorothea was born and raised in Huntsville, Texas. For her undergraduate degree, she attended Sam Houston State University where she majored in Chemistry and Biology and worked in Dr. Christopher Zall's lab synthesizing and characterizing transition metal catalysts for the hydrogenation of CO₂ and their metal-hydride intermediates. In the Que lab, she is interested in developing fluorescent probes for tracking metalloprotein metalation state. In her free time, Dorothea likes bird-watching, hiking, playing board games, and trying new foods :)
GaHou Hu (Mr. Hu)
October 2022 to present Who? Me? You? Hu? Minister of Digital Affairs & Magic, Szechuanese. He received bachelor training from UNC-CH. He aspires to become the grandmaster of potion and lord of dark arts. Besides alchemy, he is also an enthusiast of skiing and finding ultimate freedom in dreamworld where laws of physics are defied. |
Lauren Kimberly
October 2023 to present
email
Lauren is from Denton, TX and received her B.S. in Chemistry from Trinity University. As an undergraduate, she worked in the area of supramolecular chemistry characterizing binding interactions of cucurbit[n]urils and peptides. In the Que lab, Lauren hopes to study metal homeostasis using fluorescent probes that bind to metalloenzymes. Outside of the lab, Lauren likes to read, sew, and drink coffee.
October 2023 to present
Lauren is from Denton, TX and received her B.S. in Chemistry from Trinity University. As an undergraduate, she worked in the area of supramolecular chemistry characterizing binding interactions of cucurbit[n]urils and peptides. In the Que lab, Lauren hopes to study metal homeostasis using fluorescent probes that bind to metalloenzymes. Outside of the lab, Lauren likes to read, sew, and drink coffee.
Alyssa Malto
October 2021 to present Alyssa is from Orlando, FL and received her B.A. in Chemistry from Rollins College. As an undergrad, she worked under Dr. Laurel Habgood and synthesized silver(I) N-heterocyclic carbene complexes for antibacterial studies. Wanting to learn more about the biomedical applications of inorganic chemistry, Alyssa joined the Que lab hoping to develop compounds to better understand the biological role of metals and, in the process, help contribute to advances in disease therapy. Her current project involves synthesizing fluorescent probes with different metal-binding groups to improve their potency and specificity toward metalloenzyme targets. When not in lab, Alyssa likes to cook, bake, read, and explore the city of Austin. |
Sky Price
October 2020 to present Sky is from Evergreen, CO and received her B.A. in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology from Reed College. As an undergraduate, she synthesized novel Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators (SERMs) for treatment of breast cancer. Unable to escape biology, Sky joined the Que lab and hopes to expand her understanding of protein-substrate interactions to design molecules that have targeted interactions with proteins. Outside of lab, Sky likes to backpack, garden, and wear Halloween socks at all times of the year. |
Katie Scott
October 2020 to present Katie was born and raised in Greensboro North Carolina and graduated from University of North Carolina Chapel Hill receiving a BS in Chemistry. As an undergraduate, she studied under Dr. Scott Warren synthesizing and characterizing new 2D and hybrid materials. In the Que lab, Katie hopes to learn more about inorganic biochemistry through the synthesis of MRI probes. In her free time, she reads fiction, bakes, and wears Christmas socks at all times of the year. |
UNDERGRADUATE/POST-BAC STUDENTS
Briana Adindu
June 2022 - present Briana was raised in Lewisville, TX and currently attends the University of Texas at Austin in pursue of a B.S. in Chemistry. After participating in the Freshman Research Initiative (FRI), she realized there was no other way she wanted to spend her summer than working in the lab. After getting the opportunity to join the Que lab through an Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program, Briana decided to continue on in the Que lab during the school year to further her skills in the lab. In her free time she loves listening to music, dancing, and laughing with her loved ones. |
Duaa Ansari
January 2022 - present Duaa is from Sugar Land, TX, and is currently pursuing a B.S. in chemistry within the Dean’s Scholars Honors Program. She joined the Que Lab as a second-year student due to her interest in chemical biology and inorganic chemistry. She hopes to gain experience in synthesis and characterization and narrow down a field of interest before pursuing a PhD. In her free time, she loves to draw, paint, play tennis, and cook. |
Sarina Hassan
January 2022 - present Sarina is from Grapevine, Texas. She is getting her B.S. in biochemistry. She joined the Que Lab as a second year student to further her interest in chemistry and its biological applications as well as gain skills and experience for graduate school and a future career in research. In her free time, she likes to exercise, bake, and read. |
Tyler Lee
May 2023 - present Tyler is from Houston, TX, and is currently pursuing a B.S. in Chemistry with goal of eventually attending medical school. He joined the Que Lab in his third year seeking research experience in chemistry related to medicine. He is currently investigating manganese oxide nanoparticles as potential 19F MRI enhancers. Outside of research, he likes to play with his two cats, play badminton, bike, and has been learning for a year how to shred as hard as possible on his electric guitar. |
PAST MEMBERS
Edith Amason
October 2021 to present
email
Edith is originally from Birmingham, AL and she received her B.S. in Chemistry from Sewanee in Sewanee, TN. During her time in Sewanee, Edith worked in the lab of Dr. Evan Joslin on the synthesis and catalytic applications of novel Ruthenium(II) complexes. Edith hopes to spend her time in the Que lab working on the synthesis of both redox active 19F MRI probes and of nuclear nanoparticles for medical applications. Outside of Welch, she enjoys going to yoga, reading, hiking, and trying new coffee shops in Austin.
October 2021 to present
Edith is originally from Birmingham, AL and she received her B.S. in Chemistry from Sewanee in Sewanee, TN. During her time in Sewanee, Edith worked in the lab of Dr. Evan Joslin on the synthesis and catalytic applications of novel Ruthenium(II) complexes. Edith hopes to spend her time in the Que lab working on the synthesis of both redox active 19F MRI probes and of nuclear nanoparticles for medical applications. Outside of Welch, she enjoys going to yoga, reading, hiking, and trying new coffee shops in Austin.
Kanchan Aggarwal, Ph.D.
Kanchan is from Ghaziabad, a small city in Northern India. She received her Integrated Masters degree in Chemistry from Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee in 2015, funded by INSPIRE Fellowship from the Govt. of India. After working in different research areas through summer internships, she found her interest in bioinorganic chemistry when she worked as a MITACS Fellow in Dr. Jeffrey Warren lab at Simon Fraser University, Canada. With the curiosity to explore further, she joined Que Lab in August 2015, where she is studying photoresponsive probes to manipulate overexpressed metalloenzymes in cancer cells. She is also passionate about teaching and mentorship, and loves to go for Zumba at UT. |
Georgia Barone
Georgia was born in Lyons, Colorado. She is currently obtaining her undergraduate degree in biochemistry. She transferred to the University of Texas in the summer of 2020, after previously working in a lab at St. Edward’s University, where she researched the enzyme Acireductone Dioxygenase through small molecule modeling. Her hobbies include running, hiking, and traveling. By joining the Que lab Georgia hopes to gain more experience in research before heading to graduate school to receive her PhD.
Georgia was born in Lyons, Colorado. She is currently obtaining her undergraduate degree in biochemistry. She transferred to the University of Texas in the summer of 2020, after previously working in a lab at St. Edward’s University, where she researched the enzyme Acireductone Dioxygenase through small molecule modeling. Her hobbies include running, hiking, and traveling. By joining the Que lab Georgia hopes to gain more experience in research before heading to graduate school to receive her PhD.
Alyssa Felix Thayne
Alyssa was born and raised in Sacramento, CA. She received her B.S. in Anthropology from the University of Utah and is returning to academia with the goal of pursuing graduate school in chemistry. Her hobbies included rock climbing, finding new delicious places to eat, and spending time with friends and family. In the Que Lab, Alyssa plans to hone her synthesis skills and learn new lab techniques |
Audrey Fikes, Ph.D.
Audrey was born and raised in Texas and received her B.S. in Biochemistry from Abilene Christian University in 2013. During her undergraduate studies, she conducted research under Dr. Greg Powell and synthesized several new osmium-containing metal organic framework precursors. Her work in the Que lab combines her love of chemistry and biology and is focused on making chemical tools to study cellular metal homeostasis. |
Dawson Grimes
Dawson is from Grapevine, Texas. He is currently obtaining his B.S. in chemistry and joined the Que Lab as third-year student due to his interests in inorganic chemistry and biological probes. As a member of the Que Lab, he is excited to gain experience in synthesis and characterization. In his free time Dawson loves to cook, collect house plants, and travel. Santiago Hendrichs Santiago grew up in San Antonio, Texas, but he is originally from Monterrey, Mexico. He is currently working towards finishing his B.S. in chemistry and joined the Que Lab as a fourth year student. He is interested in inorganic chemistry and its applications within biological systems. He hopes to gain much practical experience especially, especially doing synthesis, during his time at the Que Lab. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, gaming, and playing the trombone. |
Christopher Hastings
Raised in Killeen, Chris is a fourth-year chemistry major at the University of Texas. Some of his hobbies are playing the saxophone and pool. In the future, he would like to pursue a career in Organometallics. By joining the Que lab, he hopes that his skills and understanding of chemistry can be further honed. |
Abigail Hinojosa
Abby was born in McAllen, TX and raised in Reynosa, Mexico. She joined the Que Lab as a second-year chemistry major. Some of her hobbies are discovering new music and painting portraits. In the future, she would like to pursue a career in pharmaceutical research. In the Que Lab, she hopes to gain experience in bioinorganic chemistry as well as learn new lab techniques. |
Rahul Kadakia, Ph.D.
Rahul was born and raised in New York and received his B.S. in Chemistry and Mathematics from the University of Georgia in 2015. During his undergraduate career, Rahul interned at the Environmental Protection Agency analyzing air, water, and soil samples for volatile organic compounds. As an avid traveler, he has been to numerous countries and plans to visit many more. In his free time, Rahul enjoys playing sports, drinking beer, and exploring everything Austin has to offer. In the Que lab, Rahul hopes to synthesize bimodal MRI contrast agents to target hypoxic cells. |
Tyler King, Ph.D.
Tyler is from Spring, Texas outside of Houston. He graduated with a Bachelor in Science from UT Austin in 2016, working for Prof. Richard Jones on luminescent lanthanide bioprobes. Deciding to stay at UT Austin for his PhD., Tyler joined the Que lab first continuing work with luminescent lanthanide bioprobes before moving on to 19F MRI agents. He has been working on developing next-generation perfluorocarbon (PFC) nanoemulsions improving their sensitivity, versatility and biocompatibility |
Divya Kolli
Divya was born and raised in Coppell, Texas. She joined the Que Lab as a third-year Biochemistry and Astronomy major due to her interest in protein biochemistry and probe design. She is excited to develop skills in synthesis and learn more about bioinorganic chemistry and its applications. Her hobbies include being a plant-mom, watching movies, and reading comics. |
Slade Lee
Slade was born in Odessa, Texas and is studying to receive his bachelor's in chemistry, and he hopes to go into medical school upon graduating. In the Que lab, Slade hopes to hone his skills with chemical practices to better prepare himself for medical school. In his free time, Slade likes to listen to music and go on walks with his girlfriend and dog. |
Haoding "Vito" Lin
Haoding Lin (Vito) was born and raised in Zhongshan, Guangdong, China. He came to the U.S. when he was 18 to pursue his B.S. chemistry degree at the University of Texas at Austin. Vito joined the Que lab in his junior year. His goal is to seek his fields of studying chemistry so that he can continue to explore in his future career. Vito has a broad of hobbies, such as playing golf, photography, and mahjong.
Haoding Lin (Vito) was born and raised in Zhongshan, Guangdong, China. He came to the U.S. when he was 18 to pursue his B.S. chemistry degree at the University of Texas at Austin. Vito joined the Que lab in his junior year. His goal is to seek his fields of studying chemistry so that he can continue to explore in his future career. Vito has a broad of hobbies, such as playing golf, photography, and mahjong.
Radhika Mehta, Ph.D.
Radhika was born and raised in Patna, Bihar, a state in north India. She earned her Bachelors in Chemistry at St. Stephen’s College, Delhi in 2010, having received the INSPIRE scholarship from the Govt. of India during the tenure. She then received her M.Sc. by Research in Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Oxford, UK under Dr. Jason Davis in 2012 working on mesoporous silica nanoparticles for antibacterial drug delivery. She has also worked for Prof. AK Bhowmick and Dr. Prolay Das at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Patna until July 2014 where she synthesized tyrosine-based copolymers for bioapplications. Radhika loves to paint, bake and discover new places. In the Que lab, Radhika hopes to gain experience in bio-inorganic chemistry while working on making chemical tools to study metalloprotein and metal homeostasis. |
Chinh Ngo, Ph.D.
Chinh was born and raised in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. He obtained his B.S. degree in chemistry from Denison University. His research focused on synthesis and characterization of bridge-substituted calix[4]arenes. He then joined the Que group at the University of Texas at Austin to study metal homeostasis. |
Lauren Ohman
Lauren was raised in Keller, TX and joined the Que lab as a second-year chemistry major. She is working towards a pre-health certificate as well. With past experience in an undergraduate lab working with lanthanide luminescence chemistry, Lauren hopes to discover a way to connect inorganic chemistry with medical applications in order to pursue medical research in the future. |
Jacks Reyna
Jacks was born and raised in Brownsville, Texas and joined the Que Lab as a senior. He is pursuing a Bachelor's of Science in Chemistry, and is expected to graduate in December 2018. He has been an integral part of the Fun with Chemistry Outreach Program, and the Department of Chemistry’s Demonstrations Team. Jacks would like to one-day work at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas; by joining the Que Lab, he hopes to begin his endeavors into cancer research. |
Dominique Tan
Dominique was born in Sugar Land, TX and raised in several cities of the Greater Houston area. She joined the Que lab as a rising sophomore chemistry major due to her interest in both cellular biology and inorganic chemistry. In her “free time”, Dominique loves to tickle the ivories, binge-watch Netflix, and play tennis. In the Que Lab, she hopes to uncover the science behind cellular metal ion homeostasis using chemical tools and to learn new lab techniques. |
Elva Ye
Elva Ye was born in Virginia and grew up in several cities including Boston, Austin, and Nanjing. Interested in transition metal and bioinorganic chemistry, Elva joined the Que Lab as a first-year B.S. Chemistry major in hopes of exploring biomedical applications of transition metal complexes while learning new lab techniques. Some of her hobbies include painting portraits and reading magical realism novels. |
For a full list of past members, please click here.