Aguilar-Romero, Jazmin

Short Biography

Dr. Jazmin Aguilar-Romero was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. She attended Cornell University where she participated in a chemistry summer bridge program and conducted undergraduate research in organic chemistry and chemical biology. After completing her B.A. in chemistry and chemical biology, Dr. Aguilar-Romero obtained their Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). She worked in the lab of Professor Steve C. Zimmerman, where she focused on developing acid-generating polymers for applications in drug delivery and degradable plastics. During their Ph.D., Dr. Aguilar-Romero spent a summer at Hope College in Holland, Michigan as a visiting graduate student where she mentored undergraduate students to expand the library of directing groups for a rhodium-catalyzed decarbonylation of ketones in the lab of Professor Jeffrey Johnson. As a Center for Sustainable Polymers Postdoctoral Fellow in the lab of Professor Jessica Lamb, Dr. Aguilar-Romero focused on developing non-isocyanate based polyurethanes. Ever since her time at Cornell University, she has assisted in teaching organic chemistry courses and has been involved in organizations aiming to help students from all backgrounds to succeed in STEM. Dr. Aguilar-Romero joined the faculty at UCLA in 2025 as an Assistant Teaching Professor.

Research Interests

Chemistry, as the central science, is a requirement for undergraduate students from a wide range of STEM majors and professional aspirations. However, students continue to view introductory chemistry courses such as organic chemistry as “gatekeepers” preventing them from pursuing their studies and career ambitions. The “gatekeeper” role of these courses often results in lower rates of course completion in students from historically underrepresented groups in STEM. The Aguilar-Romero group will focus on increasing students’ sense of belonging to improve student performance and success in organic chemistry courses. Projects in the group will include forming effective learning communities in large-enrollment classes, integrating a course-based undergraduate research experience into lab sections, and reforming courses to reduce performance gaps in organic chemistry.