Wuttig Research Group

Deepak grew up in Ajmer (India) surrounded by the beautiful Aravalli mountains. He received his B.S. in chemistry from GCA, Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati University and his M.S. from the Central University of Rajasthan. There, he has studied the photoinduced electron transfer events from porphyrins to inorganic nanocrystals under the supervision of Prof. Raghu Chitta and continued his PhD in the same group. His graduate work focused on supramolecular donor-acceptor systems. Following an internship at UNC Chapel Hill in Prof. Meyer’s Lab, he joined Prof. Wayne Gladfelter’s group at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, where his postdoctoral research focused on developing materials for photon upconversion and singlet fission processes. In September 2021, he joined the Wuttig group and is working on developing self-assembled structures for electrochemical processes. Outside of lab you can find him either in a coffee shop or in a bookstore reading about world history!

deepak1@uchicago.edu

Špela is from Slovenia, yet also spent her childhood living in Argentina, Canada, and Italy. Majoring in Chemistry and minoring in Biology and International Studies, she received her B.S. degree from St. John’s University in New York. There, she worked in the computational chemistry lab of Dr. Vázquez, studying protein aggregation of alpha-synuclein and some of its mutations that cause Parkinson’s disease. In November 2021, Špela joined the Wuttig group, where her current research focuses on tuning interfacial microenvironments for selective electrocatalysis. Outside of lab, Špela likes to bake desserts and play sports.

skunstelj@uchicago.edu

Gregory grew up in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles and later moved across the city to receive his B.S. in Chemistry at UCLA. At UCLA, Gregory discovered his passion for chemistry under the guidance of Dr. Alexander Spokoyny through work on boron clusters and their applications in energy. Driven further by the potential to address environmental challenges through chemistry, Gregory worked with Dr. Ramesh Bhave at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to develop membrane-solvent extraction techniques capable of recycling critical and scarce elements from lithium-ion batteries. As a graduate student in the Wuttig Group, he is excited to research interfacial self-assembly on electrode materials to advance catalysis. Outside the lab, you can find him watching Formula 1, bouldering at a local climbing gym, and exploring all of Chicago’s fantastic coffee and food!

ggorobets@uchicago.edu

Taemin is from South Korea. He grew up in several cities, and received B.S. in Chemistry at Korea University in Seoul. During his undergraduate studies, he joined Professor Kyoungsuk Jin’s research group and started to explore the wonderful world of electro-organic chemistry. His work was focused on catalyzing organic synthesis using electricity and revealing its reaction mechanisms by utilizing various methods. Moving forward, he wanted to manipulate the electroorganic reactions and science led him to join the Wuttig Group in Fall 2023! Now, he is designing catalytic inorganic electrode materials for organic synthesis. Outside the lab, Taemin loves to watch movies, Netflix shows and TV series (GOT, HOTD let’s go!) and hear BOL4 songs!

 taeminkim@uchicago.edu

YeJi grew up in Seoul, South Korea. She received her B.S. in Chemistry from Konkuk University in Seoul and received her M.S. in Chemistry from Korea University in Seoul. There, she worked in Professor Suk Joong Lee’s nanomaterial lab, studing MgO@SBA-15@GO as a chemical warfare agents (CWAs) detoxification catalyst. In November 2023, YeJi joined the Wuttig group. Her research focuses on inorganic electrode design for enhanced electrocatalysis.

yejik@uchicago.edu

Nico Maldonado grew up in Highland Park, Illinois. He started his academic journey at the University of Illinois where he worked under Prof. Alison Fout developing inorganic catalysts. In addition, he worked under Prof. Andrew Gewirth, studying electrode interfaces. In the Wuttig group, his work is focused on the development of  electrode modifications utilizing non-covalent strategies. Nico enjoys backgammon, crocheting, yerba mate , and mahjong.

nmaldonado@uchicago.edu

Born in California to Greek parents, Ry moved to Illinois to attend the University of Chicago, where she is majoring in Chemistry and Philosophy, with a focus on ancient Greeks. Prior to joining the Wuttig group, she did tRNA biochemistry research. In the Wuttig group, she focuses on electrochemical methods for heterogeneous catalysis, as well as spectroscopy. Outside of the lab, Ry enjoys reading, making ceramics, baking sourdough, and spending time with her pets.

mpapadopoulos@uchicago.edu

Ching grew up in Taipei, Taiwan. He earned his B.S. in Chemistry from Tamkang University and later received his M.S. in Chemistry from National Central University, where he worked on natural product synthesis with Professor Duen-Ren Hou. For his graduate studies, Ching focused on gold-catalyzed cyclization under the guidance of Professor Rai-Shung Liu at National Tsing Hua University. In 2023, he was awarded the NSTC-PRAP fellowship from Taiwan and joined Professor Guangbin Dong’s group to research C-C bond activation at UChicago. In August 2024, he joined the Wuttig group, working on the development of new electrochemical synthesis methods. Outside the lab, Ching enjoys exploring Chicago’s incredible food and coffee shops.

chingnung@uchicago.edu 

Ashok is from Washington, D.C. He will major in chemistry and minor in physics. In the Wuttig group, he is excited to learn about electrocatalysis and self-assembly. Outside of the lab, Ashok enjoys playing basketball with friends, drawing, running, and exploring all that Chicago has to offer.

actate@uchicago.edu

Caroline grew up in Taipei, Taiwan. She moved to Chicago to pursue a B.S. degree in Chemistry at the University of Chicago. Before joining Wuttig’s group, she researched new active electrode materials for sodium batteries. With her interest in catalysis and electrochemistry, she is very excited to learn more about these topics, especially research in electrode modifications and self-assembly. Outside the lab, Caroline likes to spend her time hanging out with friends, reading, and cooking.

chou2@uchicago.edu

Jesús grew up in Mexico in the city of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon. At age 18 he moved countries to attend the University of Texas at Austin, where he received his B.S. in Chemistry and a minor in Computer Science. There he worked with Dr. Hang Ren’s electrochemistry group, coauthoring a paper on nickel dissolution, and studying the electrodeposition of shape-controlled Pt nanoparticles using scanning electrochemical cell microscopy. Now, in the Wuttig Group, he is excited about working towards the development of spectroelectrochemical methods to study electrocatalytic and highly disordered carbon materials. In his free time, Jesus enjoys science fiction and fantasy novels, such as Dune and Stormlight Archive, and his favorite show is Breaking Bad (which is completely unrelated to his career choices). 

jesusamc@uchicago.edu

Becca grew up in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania and attended the University of Pittsburgh, where she received a B.S. in Chemistry with a concentration in Materials Science. During her undergraduate years, Becca discovered her love for chemistry and materials science during her time spent in Dr. Millstone’s lab for Nanoparticle Synthesis and Characterization, where she studied ligand exchange mechanisms on AuPd nanoparticles, and in Dr. Chmielus’s Additive Manufacturing and Magnetic Materials lab, where she used 3D Binder Jet printing to create highly porous CoCrMo filters. In the Wuttig group at the University of Chicago, Becca is excited explore the oxidative reactivity of multimetallic electrode materials. Outside of lab, Becca enjoys reading, baking, and taking long walks around the lakefront. 

bhotton@uchicago.edu