GROUP MEMBERS

AVIYA AKARI

MSc Candidate

Aviya completed her bachelor degree at Ryerson, with a thesis on the investigation of the photochemistry and intramolecular dye-sensitized free-radical processes of quinoline and coumarin antennas. She is the recipient of the 2020 Salad King International Student Award. Currently, her research focuses on the synthesis and characterization of photoactivatable, biocompatible carbon dots for super-resolution bioimaging and molecular computing.

NICHOLAS DOGANTZIS

MSc Candidate

Nicholas obtained his bachelor degree at Ryerson University in the Impellizzeri Lab with a thesis on the fluorescence activation of boronate esters. He is the recipient of 2019 NSERC USRA, a 2019 Ryerson Graduate Scholarship and a 2020 Ontario Graduate Scholarship. His research efforts concentrate on the construction of hybrid core-shell nanoparticles integrated with fluorescent molecules.

SUMAIYA SOHA

PhD Candidate

Since completing her undergraduate studies, Sumaiya was involved in teaching undergraduate biochemistry and high-school biology. Jointly with the Antonescu and Botelho labs at Ryerson, her research project focuses on the investigation of silver nanostructures to enhance fluorescence imaging of biological systems, bridging nanomaterial chemistry and biology.

LAVINIA TRIFOI

MSc Candidate

Lavinia’s undergraduate research in the Impellizzeri lab focused on the development of molecular systems that can mimic Boolean logic operators and reproduce basic arithmetic function. She is the recipient of a 2020 Ryerson URO. Her graduate research is directed toward the design and fabrication of hybrid solid nanocomposites based on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) interfaced with organic fluorophores.

ALI YAGHOUBIAN

MSc Candidate

Ali completed an undergraduate thesis and triple minor in biology, mathematics and psychology at Ryerson University. His graduate studies, in collaboration with the Adler's lab, focus on the utilization of porphyrin silanes in organic photoredox catalysis.

TALHA MAHMOOD

BSc Candidate

Talha is a 4th-year chemistry student. His thesis project, a collaboration with Neil R. Branda, focuses on the photochromic properties of (MOFs) containing diarylethenes. Upon the completion of his undergraduate degree, Talha is hoping to pursue graduate-level studies. 

ARANIY SANTHIRESWARAN

BSc Candidate

Araniy is in her final year of Biomedical Sciences, and a recipient of a 2021 NSERC undergraduate research award. She is currently conducting her thesis research jointly with the Botelho and Antonescu labs at Ryerson, focusing on the application of silver nanoparticles to enhance fluorescent imaging of lysosomal associated proteins and contact sites.