- The So Lab is always looking for curious, motivated, and persistent students to join. Undergraduates need strong quantitative skills and proficiency in general, organic, physical, and inorganic chemistry courses. We do not have additional funding for postdoctoral researchers at this time.
Principal Investigator
Monica C. So, Ph.D.
mso@csuchico.edu
Monica grew up in southern California in a city that once had more lemon trees than people. Yearning for a change in scenery, she moved all the way to UCLA, where she earned her B.S. in Organic Materials Chemistry while researching under Prof. Benjamin Schwartz as a Gates Millennium Scholar. She then earned her Ph.D. in inorganic materials chemistry at Northwestern University working under Prof. Joseph Hupp as a National Defense Science & Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellow, developing a novel automated liquid phase technique for depositing thin films of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Working simultaneously at Argonne National Lab, she investigated the light absorption and energy transfer behavior of MOF thin films using steady state and transient fluorescence spectroscopy. Since July 2015, she has taught and mentored over 1,000 undergraduate students as a Lantis Endowed Associate Professor of Chemistry at California State University, Chico. Her philosophy as a research mentor is to have students develop a sense of ownership over their work, think about their science strategically, and appreciate scientific communication. Her work on investigating charge and energy transfer behavior of novel MOFs has resulted in 17 publications with >2000 citations and nearly $1 million in funding from National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, and California State University. When Monica is not busy saving the world with sustainable solutions with her research group, she is a runner, crocheter, Yelp Eliter, and Chinese chef!
mso@csuchico.edu
Monica grew up in southern California in a city that once had more lemon trees than people. Yearning for a change in scenery, she moved all the way to UCLA, where she earned her B.S. in Organic Materials Chemistry while researching under Prof. Benjamin Schwartz as a Gates Millennium Scholar. She then earned her Ph.D. in inorganic materials chemistry at Northwestern University working under Prof. Joseph Hupp as a National Defense Science & Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellow, developing a novel automated liquid phase technique for depositing thin films of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Working simultaneously at Argonne National Lab, she investigated the light absorption and energy transfer behavior of MOF thin films using steady state and transient fluorescence spectroscopy. Since July 2015, she has taught and mentored over 1,000 undergraduate students as a Lantis Endowed Associate Professor of Chemistry at California State University, Chico. Her philosophy as a research mentor is to have students develop a sense of ownership over their work, think about their science strategically, and appreciate scientific communication. Her work on investigating charge and energy transfer behavior of novel MOFs has resulted in 17 publications with >2000 citations and nearly $1 million in funding from National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, and California State University. When Monica is not busy saving the world with sustainable solutions with her research group, she is a runner, crocheter, Yelp Eliter, and Chinese chef!
Postdoctoral Researcher
Dr. Robabeh Bashiri holds a bachelor's degree in Chemistry from the University of Zanjan, master's degree in Inorganic Chemistry from Payam-e-Noor University, Iran, and PhD in Chemical Engineering from the Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP). Since March 2022, she joined to So Lab to work on the NSF project for designing photoactive material for renewable energy applications. She is an expert in inorganic chemistry with over 10 years of working experience with in-depth knowledge of the design, synthesis, and characterization of various nanomaterials, catalysts, MOFs, semiconductors, carbon-based materials, transition metals for renewable energy, organic materials degradation, biotechnology, and sensing applications. Her research led to 40 peer-reviewed journals with more than 600 citations, 2 book chapters, 12 conferences, 3 filed patents, and 1 granted industrial design. She secured different research grants from Malaysia and the United Kingdom, Estonia, and Poland. She has mentored over 10 Ph.D., Master's, senior project students and research assistants. She is an assistant editor of the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy.
Undergraduates
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Nicholas (Nikita) S. Barnett
nbarnett1@mail.csuchico.edu Hailing from Contra Costa County, Nikita double majors in chemistry and physics and minors in mathematics. Outside of school, he's an avid practitioner of jiu jitsu and enjoys the color red. Did you know he likes to paint with closed eyes? |
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Carlos M. Melchor
cmmelchorceballos@mail.csuchico.edu Originally from Ukiah, Carlos majors in biochemistry. He aspires to be a physician. On his free time, he's playing soccer, watching his favorite team Liverpool, cooking both Mexican and Japanese dishes, and hanging out with his family and friends. |
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Preston Lawsom
plawson@mail.csuchico.edu A Chico local, Preston majors in chemistry and minors in Studio Art at Chico State. He transferred from Butte College with a double AA in Physics and Chemistry. His primary interests in chemistry include sustainable energy and materials science, but he enjoys dabbling in every field and plans to become a professor after grad school. Did you know that in his free time he makes sells his pottery all over Chico? |
Alumni
Sydney M. Angel
sangel5@mail.csuchico.edu
Born and raised in Santa Rosa, Sydney is a biochemistry major, SI leader, and sugar addict. When she's free, she loves to relax with her family and friends. She is currently a chemist at Bausch Health Companies Inc.
sangel5@mail.csuchico.edu
Born and raised in Santa Rosa, Sydney is a biochemistry major, SI leader, and sugar addict. When she's free, she loves to relax with her family and friends. She is currently a chemist at Bausch Health Companies Inc.
Jeremy (Jerah) L. Barnett
jelabarn@ucsc.edu
Native to Chico, Jerah double majored in chemistry and biochemistry at Chico State; he is a current PhD student in chemistry at UC Santa Cruz. His interests range from computers and electronics to living a healthy lifestyle. School, to him, is not career- but interest-driven, so he tries to enjoy himself. His life motto? "If it's not fun, it's not worth it."
jelabarn@ucsc.edu
Native to Chico, Jerah double majored in chemistry and biochemistry at Chico State; he is a current PhD student in chemistry at UC Santa Cruz. His interests range from computers and electronics to living a healthy lifestyle. School, to him, is not career- but interest-driven, so he tries to enjoy himself. His life motto? "If it's not fun, it's not worth it."
James J. Calvo
jcalvo@bu.edu
A native of San Francisco, James majored in chemistry and minored in applied math. When he's not busy thinking about science or numbers, he is an ex-vegan who enjoys playing chess. He is now a PhD student in materials science at Boston University.
jcalvo@bu.edu
A native of San Francisco, James majored in chemistry and minored in applied math. When he's not busy thinking about science or numbers, he is an ex-vegan who enjoys playing chess. He is now a PhD student in materials science at Boston University.
Vivien L. Cherrette
vcherret@ucsc.edu
Hailing from Hermosa Beach, Vivien majored in chemistry with a minor in mathematics; she is a PhD student in chemistry at UC Santa Cruz and an affiliate at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. She enjoys the sunny outdoors whether it be camping, hiking, or running. Vivien aspires for a career in industry.
vcherret@ucsc.edu
Hailing from Hermosa Beach, Vivien majored in chemistry with a minor in mathematics; she is a PhD student in chemistry at UC Santa Cruz and an affiliate at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. She enjoys the sunny outdoors whether it be camping, hiking, or running. Vivien aspires for a career in industry.
Connor J. Hutcherson
connor_hutcherson@pall.com
Born and raised in Redondo Beach, he majored in chemistry; he is currently a field application scientist at Pall Corporation. His hobbies include cooking and exploring the outdoors. In fact, he once spent three weeks backpacking the Appalachian trail!
connor_hutcherson@pall.com
Born and raised in Redondo Beach, he majored in chemistry; he is currently a field application scientist at Pall Corporation. His hobbies include cooking and exploring the outdoors. In fact, he once spent three weeks backpacking the Appalachian trail!
Nicole D. Mackie
nmackie@mail.csuchico.edu
Hailing from Newcastle, CA, Nicole majored in physics. When she is not focused on work, you can probably find her running outdoors, working out at the gym, or shopping in downtown Chico. She is currently a chemistry teacher at Marysville Charter Academy for the Arts.
nmackie@mail.csuchico.edu
Hailing from Newcastle, CA, Nicole majored in physics. When she is not focused on work, you can probably find her running outdoors, working out at the gym, or shopping in downtown Chico. She is currently a chemistry teacher at Marysville Charter Academy for the Arts.
Olivia S. McIntosh
omcintosh@gmail.com
Originally from Livermore, CA, Olivia majored in chemistry and minored in physics. She worked at Nanotech Energy and at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory before joining Nilogen Oncosystems as project manager of microscopy.
omcintosh@gmail.com
Originally from Livermore, CA, Olivia majored in chemistry and minored in physics. She worked at Nanotech Energy and at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory before joining Nilogen Oncosystems as project manager of microscopy.
Celia F. Todd
cftodd0@ucsc.edu
A native of Oroville, Celia double majored in chemistry and biochemistry. When not studying, she writes to keep her passion for literature burning bright and enjoys playing MMORPGs. She is currently pursuing her PhD in chemistry at UC Santa Cruz.
cftodd0@ucsc.edu
A native of Oroville, Celia double majored in chemistry and biochemistry. When not studying, she writes to keep her passion for literature burning bright and enjoys playing MMORPGs. She is currently pursuing her PhD in chemistry at UC Santa Cruz.
Susana (Susie) Z. Uribe
suribe7@mail.csuchico.edu
A native of Long Beach, Susie double majored in chemistry and biochemistry. Ever since 5th grade when she was tasked to draw the anatomy of an esophagus, she has aspired to become a physician. She is currently being certified as an EMT at Butte College.
suribe7@mail.csuchico.edu
A native of Long Beach, Susie double majored in chemistry and biochemistry. Ever since 5th grade when she was tasked to draw the anatomy of an esophagus, she has aspired to become a physician. She is currently being certified as an EMT at Butte College.
Sungwon Yoon
syoon8@uh.edu
All the way from Seoul, South Korea, Sungwon majored in chemistry with a mathematics minor. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling and experiencing different cultures. Although she hasn’t been to many countries yet, she plans to explore more countries in the future. She worked at Nanotech Energy, a graphene battery startup company, before pursuing her PhD in chemistry at University of Houston.
syoon8@uh.edu
All the way from Seoul, South Korea, Sungwon majored in chemistry with a mathematics minor. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling and experiencing different cultures. Although she hasn’t been to many countries yet, she plans to explore more countries in the future. She worked at Nanotech Energy, a graphene battery startup company, before pursuing her PhD in chemistry at University of Houston.
