Members
BUWIC is a community of both women and men chemists climbing the academic-research ladder in the fields of organic, physical, theoretical, biological and medicinal chemistry. Together BUWIC members explore the options, challenges and opportunities of their current research and future career options.
Annually, BUWIC welcomes a substantial portion of the Chemistry Department’s graduate students, facutly and staff into the organization.
View our current member list here.
Become a member of BUWIC to attend our career seminars, participate in workshops and apply for travel fellowships.
Email: buwicofficers@gmail.com
Elections
At the conclusion of the academic year, BUWIC holds a casual election event. Elected candidates give a brief nomination speech and BUWIC members get the chance to vote on the ideal candidate for the following positions:
– President
– Vice President/Seminar Coordinator
– Treasurer
– Secretary
– Outreach & Social Coordinator
– Webmaster
Online votes are accepted two weeks post-elections from the entire BU Chemistry community, and candidates are selected based on the number of votes in a democratic manner.
Current Officers
Sarah Soltau
President
ssoltau@bu.edu
Sarah is a fourth-year graduate student in Professor John Caradonna’s lab. She is working toward understanding the chemical basis of phenylketonuria (PKU) through a structural and mechanistic analysis of phenylalanine hydroxylase mutants that cause PKU. Sarah is also working on bioinformatics studies to understand the phylogenetic origin of phenylalanine hydroxylase and its relationship to disease. Sarah received her undergraduate degree from Skidmore College (Saratoga Springs, NY) where she majored in Chemistry and performed undergraduate research involving the immobilization of proteins on layered double hydroxide clay with Professor Steven Frey. Outside of lab Sarah enjoys kayaking, baking, reading and being outdoors as much as possible.
Swapna Bhagwanth
Vice President/Seminar Coordinator
swapnab@bu.edu
Swapna is a Post-doctoral Research Associate working with Professors John A. Porco Jr. and Scott E. Schaus at the Center for Chemical Methodology and Library Development (CMLD). Swapna is developing novel libraries using a cycloisomerization/dipolar cycloaddition sequence. She received a bachelor’s degree in Pharmaceutical Technology from UDCT, Mumbai, India in 2004. Swapna moved to the States where she worked with Prof. Rodney L. Johnson at the University of Minnesota and recieved her PhD in 2009. In addition to her passion for synthetic chemistry, Swapna loves trivia, reading, photography and driving very very fast.
Anaïs Gervais
Secretary
agervais@bu.edu
Anaïs is a third-year graduate student in Professor John Porco’s laboratory where she is working on the total synthesis of tetramethylcyclohexanedione natural products. Her main studies focus on the development of an enantioselective catalytic synthesis of members of this family that show strong bioactivity. Anaïs is originally from France where she received a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the National Graduate School of Chemistry of Montpellier. Her interest in organic chemistry started to grow in “college” thanks to amazing professors. During her spare time Anaïs enjoys to reading, running, painting and traveling.
Emily Welsch
Treasurer
welsch@bu.edu
Emily is a second-year graduate student in Professor Mark Grinstaff’s laboratory. Her research focus is directed toward the development of novel drug delivery vehicles, specifically anionic amphiphilic dendrimers, for the treatment of bacterial infections. She conducted undergraduate research in the field of natural product total synthesis with Professor Craig Forsyth at the University of Minnesota and received her B.A. in Chemistry from St. Olaf College. Emily is active in a local community running club and enjoys spending her free time outside kayaking and snowboarding, depending on the season. She also enjoys painting, reading, and photography.
Liz Hirst
Outreach & Social Chair
ehirst@bu.edu
Elizabeth is a second year student in Professor Ramesh Jasti’s laboratory. She is working on the rational synthesis of intramolecular carbon nanotube junctions. Elizabeth received her bachelor’s of science in Chemistry from George Washington University. As an undergrad, she worked for Professor Cynthia Dowd synthesizing antibiotic analogues for potential use against tuberculosis. In her free time, Liz enjoys reading and baking.
Lisa Christadore
Webmaster
lmc1@bu.edu
Lisa is a fifth-year graduate student in Professor Scott Schaus’ Laboratory. Her research focuses on microarray transcription profiling for investigating the biological affects of various drugs, beginning at the level of transcription. Lisa received her undergraduate degree from Loyola University Maryland (Baltimore, MD) where she majored in Chemistry and minored in Spanish. She has a growing interest in scientific writing and website design, and she enjoys the beach, running, reading and traveling.
