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.

Chunyin Zhu was born in Jiangsu, China, in 1982. He studied chemistry at Nanjing University, where he obtained his B.S. degree in 2004. He received his Ph.D. in organic chemistry in 2009 from Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry (SIOC), working in the field of ylide chemistry under the supervision of Professor Yong Tang. He spent two and half years as a postdoctoral research associate at Professor Silas P. Cook’s laboratory in Indiana University Bloomington, USA, working on the total synthesis of artemisinin. He joined Jiangsu University as a faculty member in 2013 and was promoted to a full Professor in 2015. His current research interests include the development of green synthetic methodologies and their application in organic synthesis.

https://chem.ujs.edu.cn/info/1080/5142.htm

Education: M.S. Central University of Karnataka, Karnataka, India (2023)
Advisor: Prof. Prof. Harish Holla
Year: 1^st Year

Born and raised in West Bengal, Ankita completed her master's degree in organic chemistry at the Central University of Karnataka, India. There, Ankita synthesized novel flavanones for use as inhibitors against diabetes-inducing targets.  After arriving at IU, Ankita chose to explore enzyme evolution as a means to create novel catalysts for organic synthesis–being co-mentored by Prof. Cook and Prof. Jared Lewis. In her free time, she likes to go to trips, explore local coffee shops and watch K-Drama.

Education: B.S. Banaras Hindu University (2022); M.S. JNCASR (2024)

Advisor: Prof. Sridhar Rajaram

Year: 1^st Year

Born and raised in Uttar Pradesh, India, Amrendra received his B.S. in Chemistry from Banaras Hindu University and his M.S. from Jawaharlal Nehru Center for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR).  During his M.S. studies, he worked designed and executed an SAR campaign for autophagy inhibition. He joined the Cook lab in 2024 and is exploring the C-heteroatom bond formation with base metals. Amrendra enjoys playing volleyball, ping pong and trekking in his free time.

Education: M.S. U. of Louisville (2024)
Advisor: Prof. G.B. Hammond
Year: 1^st Year

Sahar, originally from Tehran, Iran, earned her master's degree in Organic Chemistry from Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran. In Spring 2022, she pursued her Ph.D. studies at the University of Louisville under the supervision of Prof. Gerald B. Hammond, focusing on the synthesis of novel trifluoromethylthiolating reagents. Upon G.B.'s retirement, and with his encouragement, she moved to the Chemistry Department at IU in the Fall of 2024 to continue her work on fluorination in the Cook lab.

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

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: B.S. University of Maryland (2024)
Advisor: Prof. Michael Shi
Year: 1^st Year

Thong was born in Vinh Long, Vietnam, but grew up in Frederick, Maryland. He attended the University of Maryland, College Park, where he majored in biochemistry and conducted research on gold-catalyzed cyclizations. In late 2024, he joined the Cook lab and is now focused on bistrifluoromethylation chemistry. In his free time, Thong enjoys going to the gym, playing basketball, watching sports, and savoring delicious food.

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

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: B.S. Dehli U., M.S. Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (2023)
Advisor: Prof. Deb Maiti
Year: 2^nd Year

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.

Education: B.S. University of Louisville (2024)
Advisor: Prof. Morgan Balabanoff
Year: 1^st Year

Originally from Northern Kentucky, Claire received her bachelor's degree in Chemistry from the University of Louisville in 2024. At UofL, she worked under the direction of Prof. Morgan Balabanoff where she investigated variables that influence retention and belonging in STEM careers and undergraduate student's epistemological understanding of atomic structure models. Claire joined the Cook group in 2024 and is currently working on C–H functionalization. In her free time, Claire enjoys roller skating, collecting Pokémon cards, and exploring local coffee shops.