Silas began his academic career at Reed College (Portland, OR) in 1995. After earning his B.A. in 1999, he took a position at the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation (GNF) in San Diego, CA. There he worked to unravel various signal transduction pathways related to kinase and GTPase cell signaling.

In 2001, Silas began his graduate studies in total synthesis at Columbia University (New York, NY) under the auspices of Professor Samuel J. Danishefsky. Upon the completion of his Ph.D. in 2006, he took a post- doctoral position in the laboratory of Professor Eric Jacobsen at Harvard University (Cambridge, MA). In 2009, Silas began his independent appointment in the Chemistry Department at Indiana University.

Education: B.S. Knox (2021)
Advisor: Prof. Diana Cermak
Year: 4th

Originally from Hanoi, Vietnam, Hieu received his bachelor's degree in Chemistry from Knox College in 2021. At Knox, he worked under the direction of Prof. Diana Cermak on biofuel chemistry. Hieu joined the Cook group in 2021 and is currently working on difunctionalization of alkene.

Education: Michigan State University (2022)
Advisor: Prof. Babak Borhan
Year: 2^nd

Raised in Lansing, Michigan, Hanin received her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Michigan State University, where she worked on the total synthesis of natural products in Prof. Babak Borhan’s lab. Following graduation, Hanin went on to become an ESI PREP fellow at Yale University working jointly under Prof. Pat L. Holland and Prof. Scott J. Miller, where she pursued the development of novel iron-peptidyl catalysts for applications in site-selective hydrogenation. Hanin joined the Cook lab in 2023 and has since been working on atropisomeric C–N cross coupling. Outside of the lab, Hanin loves watching live musicals, comedy shows, playing the Guzheng (and other strange musical instruments), and dabbling in other creative pursuits.

Education: Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (M.S. 2023)
Advisor: Prof.
Year: 2^nd

Tishant, originally from Haryana, India, completed his undergraduate studies at Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi in 2021. He further pursued his master's degree at IIT Bombay, graduating in 2023. Tishant joined Cook Lab in 2023, where he is currently contributing to research in fluorine chemistry and peroxides. Outside of his professional pursuits, Tishant pursues music and enjoys playing chess.