Lead Researcher
Dr. Robert Flowers
rof2@lehigh.edu
Curriculum Vitae
Bob Flowers was born in Easton, Pennsylvania in 1964. He received his B.S. in chemistry from East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania in 1986. After taking time off from school, he was admitted to Lehigh University in 1987 and received his Ph.D. in chemistry in 1991 working with John Larsen on single electron transfer reactions in coal. Read Bob's full bio
Graduate Students
Kimberly Maricle
kame23@lehigh.edu
Kimberly was a paramedic for 10 years before returning to college. She earned a BS in Biochemistry from East Stroudsburg University in 2021, having received degrees in Chemistry and Psychology previously. It was during that time she had the opportunity to teach and aspires to return to academia in that capacity. Kimberly is now a second-year graduate student at Lehigh working on low-valent Samarium chemistry with the Flowers group. She loves music and in her spare time she enjoys weightlifting, skiing, kayaking or just riding her bike.
Jonathan Hixson-Cooper
Jbh423@lehigh.edu
Jonathan is from Northampton and earned his B.S. in Chemistry from Moravian University in 2023. He is now a second-year graduate student in the Flowers group working on the samarium(II) project. When he’s not in the lab, Jon enjoys spending time with his dogs.
Innocenzo Martellucci
Imm223@lehigh.edu
Innocenzo, from Easton, earned his B.S. in Chemistry with a minor in Biology from Ithaca College in 2023. He is now a second-year graduate student in the Flowers group. When he’s not in the lab, Enzo enjoys lifting weights and engaging in outdoor sports.
Alumni
Paria Aminroaia
paa522@lehigh.edu
Paria is from Iran. She had her Pharm.D degree in Zanjan University of Medical Sciences. During these years, Paria did some interdisciplinary projects in medicinal and organic chemistry. For her master's thesis, she synthesized biopolymers as nanocarriers for transdermal drug delivery. Outside of lab, she loves painting and playing harmonica. Paria is currently a second year student working on developing low-valent samarium PCET systems.
Gina Angelo
Gina is an undergraduate researcher in the Flowers Lab working with Nick Boekell on the samarium project. She completed a B.S. in Chemistry with a minor in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies in the Spring of 2022 before heading to the University of Pittsburgh to pursue a PhD in Chemistry. In her free time, Gina enjoys crocheting, cross stitching, and watching cartoons.
Dr. Caroline Bartulovich
cob315@lehigh.edu
Caroline graduated from Moravian College in 2015 with a B.S. in chemistry with a minor in Business Management. Caroline's projects focused on the expansion of samarium(II) chemistry using bromide, chloride, and fluoride salts with a wide array of proton donors. Outside of lab, Caroline loves spending time with her family, watching movies, and baking.
Dr. Nick Boekell
Nick was born and raised in southeastern PA before attending Trinity College in Hartford, CT where he did undergraduate research on the addition of indoles to aldehydes using triphenylmethyl carbocations as Lewis acid organocatalysts. After graduating Trinity College with a dual B.S. in Chemistry and Mathematics, Nick came to Lehigh where he worked on the Samarium project for five years investigating coordination-induced bond weakening in Sm(II) complexes) and graduated in 2022. When not at work, Nick prefers to spend his time doing martial arts, reading, or playing board games.
Nicole Capogna
Nicole Capogna is from Long Island, New York. She is a third year undergraduate student, majoring in biochemistry hoping to pursue dentistry, and in her free time she enjoys going on runs and drawing. She is working with Nick on the samarium project.
Dr. Tesia Chciuk
tvc212@lehigh.edu
Tesia attended Cedar Crest College where she graduated in 2009 with a B.S. in chemistry with a minor in biology. Following this, she gained industrial experience at Eos Energy Storage, LLC. and Bethlehem Apparatus Co. Inc. before starting graduate work at Lehigh in 2012. Her research project consists of studying the role of solvent and additives in organic reductions featuring samarium(II). In her free time, Tesia enjoys Mediterranean cooking, hiking, reading novels, and trivia.
Matthew Thoonkuzhy
mjt219@lehigh.edu
Matthew is a sophomore at Lehigh University in the 7-Year BA/MD program and minoring in Health, Medicine, and Society. He is working with Darian. In his free time, Matthew likes to take pictures, Indian cultural dance, and draw.
Meriam Deeb
Meriam Deeb is an alumna of the Samarium Project in Flowers Lab with a Bachelors in Biochemistry with a minor in Spanish. Her future aspirations include attending medical school. In her free time she enjoys traveling and playing volleyball.
Daniel Enny
dge216@lehigh.edu
Daniel Enny was a senior undergraduate researcher working with Godfred on the Titanium project. Daniel graduated in the Spring of 2016 and moved on to pursue graduate work.
Dr. GodFred Fianu
gdf212@lehigh.edu
Godfred Fianu is from Ghana in West Africa. He came to the United States in 2007 to pursue his undergraduate studies in Chemistry at Principia College in Illinois. In 2012, Godfred was admitted as a graduate student at Lehigh University for further studies in Organic Chemistry. Besides his love for research, Godfred enjoys reading inspirational books, dancing, playing soccer, and playing basketball. He also enjoys meeting people and making new friends.
Mari Flanagan
maf217@lehigh.edu
Mari is a senior chemistry major interested in becoming a pharmacist. In her free time she enjoys swimming and shopping.
Dr. Gabrielle Haddad-Weiser
glh210@lehigh.edu
Gabrielle was a graduate student working on the Backscattering Interferometry (BSI) project in the Flowers Lab. She has studied a variety of systems with BSI, including Acetylcholinesterase inhibitor binding and DNA duplex binding. She defended her doctoral defense entitled "Detection and Analysis of Molecular Interactions with Backscattering Interferometry" in August 2016.
Nicole Karpowicz
Nicole is from East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Lehigh with a Bachelors in Chemistry while working in the Flowers Lab on the Samarium Project. In her free time, Nicole does competitive powerlifting, plays disc golf, and likes to draw.
Kayla Lash
kcl217@lehigh.edu
Kayla is a senior chemistry major interested in working in the cosmetic industry in research and development. She works with Tesia on the Samarium project. In her spare time, Kayla enjoys running, doing makeup, and cooking.
Anna Li
aml418@lehigh.edu
Anna is a rising junior, majoring in Chemistry at Lehigh University. She is working with Caroline on the Samarium project. In her free time, Anna likes drawing, reading, writing Chinese calligraphy, and cooking.
Dr. Sandeepan Maity
sama16@lehigh.edu
Sandeepan comes from the east side of India. He received Ph. D in Chemistry in 2014, working with Dr. Edamana Prasad on photochemistry of divalent lanthanides from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM). After graduating from IITM, he moved to Prof. Shmaryahu Hoz’s research group for post doctoral studies in Bar-Ilan University, Israel. Sandeepan has joined the Flowers group as post doc in Lehigh University in December 2016. In his free time, he plays with his son and likes listening songs and watching movies.
Dr. Matthew McLaughlin
mpm414@lehigh.edu
Dr. Matthew McLaughlin received his Chemistry B.A. Magna Cum Laude from S.U.N.Y. New Paltz in 2006. He worked with Prof. Patrick Holland at the University of Rochester and received his Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry in 2012. His doctoral research investigated earth abundant photocatalytic hydrogen production and low coordinate protein sites as artificial metal scaffolds. In 2012, Matthew was awarded a National Research Council Fellowship on a research proposal to work with Prof. Michel Gagné at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. During his time there he studied the defunctionalization of carbohydrates to value added chemicals. In addition to science, Matthew enjoys culinary adventures, intellectual discourse, exercise, nature, and time with family and friends.
Dr. Ugochinyere Nancy Oloyede
uno218@lehigh.edu
Dr. Ugochinyere Nancy Oloyede is from Nigeria in West Africa. Nancy had her B.Sc. and Master degree in Industrial Chemistry in the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. During these periods, she did some research in chemical technology and environmental microbiology in the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO), Nigeria. After graduating with a master degree in 2017, Nancy came to Lehigh University in 2018 where she conducted studies on low-valent titanocene Chemistry. She develops and studies metal-mediated reactions in chemical synthesis as part of the Flowers research group. Her work includes investigating ways to better synthesize molecules that could be building blocks for antiviral drugs. Nancy received her Ph.D. in 2024. At Lehigh, she has been a member of the Graduate Student Senate, representing the Department of Chemistry. She’s also been a graduate student ambassador and a judge at the Lehigh Valley Science Fair. In 2022, she founded the Lehigh University Graduate Association of Nigerian Students, serving as its first president. In 2023-2024, she was chair of Graduate Student Outreach for the Global Union. Nancy hobbies are cooking, watching movies, listening to music and spending time with her family.
Dr. Niki Patel
nrp210@lehigh.edu
Niki received a B.S. in Chemistry from Temple University in 2010. Her research focused on mechanistic studies on the use of silver as an oxidant in catalytic reactions. In her free time, Niki enjoys reading, running local races, and playing the ukulele. Niki defended on March 17, 2015. She is now a post-doc in the Molander lab at the University of Pennsylvania.
Andy Riegel
adr414@lehigh.edu
Andy attended Albright College in Reading, PA where he received his B.S. in Chemistry in 2014. Andy completed his M.S. in the spring of 2016.
Kyle Schipper
kcs218@lehigh.edu
Kyle is a rising junior at Lehigh, majoring in Chemical Engineering and minoring in economics. He's also a varsity rower for the school, which he walked onto his freshman year (as opposed to being recruited). He's from Wayne Pennsylvania and is working with Godfred to help him with the titanocene project.
Andres Vazquez-Lopez
a.vazquez1120@gmail.com
Andres is an uprising junior at Lebanon Valley College working on his B.S in chemistry. He is working on the Samarium project this summer. He plans on attending graduate school after he graduates. Outside the lab, he enjoys working out and spending time with friends.
Darian Waugh
Darian graduated from Hiram College in 2016 with a B.A. in Chemistry with a minor in Physics. He graduated with his M.S. in spring 2018.
Eunice You
Eunice is a senior at Lehigh University majoring in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and minoring in Business. She is working with Caroline on the Samarium Project. In her free time, Eunice likes to write, play guitar, and sing.