Alyson completed her bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering in April 2024 at Brigham Young University.  There, she worked in Dr. William Pitt’s lab developing methods for rapid antibiotic susceptibility testing and designing magnetic nanoparticles for bacterial capture. She also participated in an REU at the University of Kansas where she worked on hyaluronic acid hydrogels for drug delivery. Alyson is currently pursuing her PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering, and she’s passionate in developing affordable drug delivery systems to make gene therapies more accessible. Outside of research, Alyson enjoys running, hiking, and reading. 

Thya is an undergraduate student studying Chemical Engineering with a Biology track. Thya is part of Kappa Alpha Theta, Melodic Miners, and the Pre-Med Club outside of class. Thya is originally from France and likes to visit her family often. She also loves crocheting, reading, and martial arts.

Adam graduated from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities in spring 2022 with a degree in Materials Science and Engineering. While there he was involved in two research projects. The first involved the fabrication of printed radio frequency identification antennas using self-aligned capillarity-assisted lithography for electronics (Prof. Lorraine Francis and Prof. Daniel Frisbie). His second undergraduate research experience focused on the identification of Frank-Kasper phases in tetrablock copolymers (Prof. Frank Bates). Currently, he is pursuing a Ph.D. in Materials Science with research interests in developing versatile polymeric drug delivery platforms. His hobbies are cross-country skiing, rock climbing, camping, and hiking. Adam is co-advised by Prof. Anuj Chauhan.

Wakana is an undergraduate student in Chemical and Biological Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines, minoring in Biomedical Engineering. Her research interests lie in the development of drug delivery systems and is planning on attending graduate school after graduating in 2025. In her free time, she loves to draw, bake, and play the piano.

Jessica received her undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Materials Science and Engineering in Spring 2022. There, she performed undergraduate research in designing polymers for 3D printing using frontal polymerization (at Prof. Nancy Sottos’ lab). She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Materials Science, focusing on developing self-assembled polymer systems for biomaterial applications. Her research interests are primarily in polymer synthesis and characterization. Some of her interests outside of research include cooking, baking, playing soccer and volleyball with friends. Jessica was awarded an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship in 2023.

Gautier is a junior majoring in Quantitative Biosciences and Engineering and minoring in data science and eventually plans on attending graduate school for bioengineering. Outside of undergraduate research, Gautier is involved in the Mines Activities Council, Peer Mentor Program, and the Kappa Sigma Fraternity. In his free time, he enjoys skiing and running.

Jillian Yanes is currently obtaining her undergraduate degree in Quantitative Biosciences and Engineering from Colorado School of Mines with two minors, one in Biomedical Engineering and one in Business and Entrepreneurship and is graduating in May 2025. She is originally from Georgia and is involved on campus with Intermural sports, Greek life, Society of Women Engineering, and Peer mentor program. In the lab she works alongside Ram Prashad to assist in the research of drug delivery through mixed micelleplexes. She loves being a part of research because it gives her the opportunity to help people and learn new things.