Prof. Niya Sa (Principal Investigator)
Ph.D. Analytical Chemistry, Indiana University-Bloomington
Postdoc Fellow, Argonne National Lab
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=hiDz5-gAAAAJ&hl=en
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Niya was born and raised in Urumqi, a city in the far northwest of China. She moved to the United States to pursue higher education following her passion for the physical sciences. Her academic journey has been driven by curiosity, determination, and a commitment to discovery. Outside of her scientific pursuits, Niya has always had a love for athletics. She was a dedicated track and field athlete for more than 15 years before “retiring” from competition. In her spare time, she enjoys exercising and is also passionate about cooking and developing recipes.
Vincent Briselli (B.S/M.S. program)
Vincent is a native Bostonian recently relocated back from the West Coast. He came to UMB to pursue a B.S. in chemistry after completing his A.S. from a local community college. Before he found his passion in chemistry, he studied Japanese Language and Literature and the fine arts. Vincent loves being outdoors and frequently collects new plants to add to his growing collection of houseplants and bonsai. He hopes to continue his undergraduate research by pursuing graduate studies in the near future.
Olivia Paden (Ph.D. program)
Olivia is from the Boston area. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a B.S. degree in 2020. After a few years of working in industry, she decided to follow her interest in environmentally conscious chemistry and applied to graduate school at UMass Boston. She rejoined Professor Sa’s lab where she had done summer research as an undergraduate student. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the city and knitting despite her cat’s best attempts to sleep on every project.
Leslie Gates (Ph.D. program)
Leslie grew up in Minnesota, but has also lived in California and Massachusetts. Leslie received her B.S. degree in chemistry and mathematics at Wellesley College in 2018. She worked in the semiconductor industry as a technician before pursuing higher education. In her free time, she enjoys reading, exploring Boston and tasting all the food that it has to offer.
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Blaise Daly (graduate program)
Originally from Dorchester, Blaise now resides in the south shore area of Boston. He got his B.S. from University of Massachusetts Boston. When Blaise isn't doing research, he enjoys lifting, playing tennis, the ukulele, and video games.
Asher Stocker (graduate program)
Asher is originally from Austin, Texas. He received his B.S. from Arizona State University. He worked as a laboratory technician before pursuing a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry at UMass Boston. In his free time, he likes to read and learn new crafts.
Camille Tinerella (graduate program)
Camille is originally from Minnesota, and moved to Arizona for her undergraduate career. After graduating from the University of Arizona with B.S. degrees in Chemistry and Environmental Science, she became fascinated with sustainable chemistry and the intersection between these two fields. Following her passion, she moved to Massachusetts to pursue higher education researching in the Sa Laboratory. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, taking care of her many houseplants, and exploring all the Northeast has to offer.
Bridgette Bennett (undergraduate researcher)
Bridgette is an undergraduate Biochemistry student at UMass Boston. Originally from Jamaica, she is passionate about learning electrochemistry. Her current research focuses on learning reversible metal deposition with electroanalytical methods. Beyond science, Bridgette loves learning new languages and listening to music. She aspires to pursue a career in medicine.
Vinay Kulkarni (undergraduate researcher)
Vinay is an undergraduate in Chemistry major at UMass Boston.
Elijah Karger (undergraduate researcher)
Elijah is an undergraduate in Chemistry major at UMass Boston.
Ayman Alzaeem (undergraduate researcher)
Ayman is an undergraduate in Biochemistry major at UMass Boston.
Kristyn (undergraduate researcher)
Kristyn is an undergraduate Biochemistry student at UMass Boston.
Group Alumni
Suzalmurni Ahmad
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Brandon Basanty
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Olivia Paden
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Kristine Maines
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Weiqi (Jenny) Qiu
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Anthia A. Toure
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Huiyi Li
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Taeyeon Kim
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An Ly
Genevieve (Genna) M. Asselin (Ph.D. 2023)
Genna got her undergrad degree in chemistry and studio art at Lafayette College in 2015. She then worked as a cosmetics research and development formulation chemist for 3 years before deciding pursue a Ph.D in Green Chemistry. She is interested in sustainable energy solutions and in her free time, loves being outside hiking or slacklining, playing ukulele, and teaching yoga classes.
Saida S. Cora (Ph.D. program, 2024)
Saida is originally from Ukraine. She was an undergraduate biochemistry student at UMass Boston. Before she discovered her passion for science she wanted to be a lawyer, and actually attended a law school in Ukraine. Saida loves animals and has a rescue dog named Layla, and a bunny named Ginger. In her free time she likes to read, paint, and crochet. Saida is also a devoted Bruins fan and attends at least four home games every season.
Shengqi Fan (Ph.D. program, 2024)
Shengqi is from Henan, China. She graduated from Xi'an University of Science and Technology majoring in Chemistry. She came to UMass Boston to pursue her Ph.D. in energy science. She is interested in exploring electrochemistry and organic chemistry. In her free time, she likes reading, dancing and is a big fan of the Chinese tradition culture.
Zicheng Yang (Ph.D. program, 2025)
Zicheng is from Taiyuan city located in the mid-north of China. He got his undergrad degree in Material Science and Engineering at Changzhou University. He joined the lab in 2019 and is interested in electrochemical theory. He is curious about the world, wants to learn new things, and likes to think. Besides science, he likes basketball, badminton and swimming. Reading and coding are also his hobbies.
Dora Sulatt (undergraduate 2023)
Dora is a junior undergraduate student in Chemistry. He moved to the states during his teens from Myanmar. He is currently working on a battery electrolyte project at Professor Sa’s lab. He planned to pursue master's in chemistry in the near future.
Nhu Vu (undergraduate 2023)
Nhu, preferred to be called Neon, is a junior undergraduate student in Chemistry Department. She is currently working on the anode research project at Professor Sa’s lab. For future, Neon wanted to pursue a career in pharmaceutical field.
Camila Muñeton(undergraduate 2022)
Camila is originally from Colombia. She is interested in electrochemistry and is currently studying biology and Japanese at Umass Boston. She loves animals and has a pet bunny named Lilo. On her free time, she likes to play soccer with her family, walk her neighbor’s dog and bike around Massachusetts. Camila hopes to get her Ph.D in the near future.
Suely LopesPereira (undergraduate 2021)
Suely is originally from Cape Verde. She is interested in learning electrochemistry and energy science. She is currently a junior undergraduate student studying Biology and Psychology. Suely has an immense passion for food. In her spare time, she likes to cook with friends and family and try new eateries in her town.