Third-year organic chemistry graduate students Branden Chaffin (Doyle), Allison Clark (Garg), Alexander Maertens (Doyle/Houk), Giulianna Miseo (Garg), and Christina Rivera (Garg) have been named the 2026 Senior Foote Fellows.
The Senior Foote Fellowships support our most outstanding third-year graduate students upon completion of their qualifying examination for their Ph.D. degree and the Junior Foote Fellowships support our most promising applicants to our graduate program. All Foote Fellows are chosen by the UCLA organic chemistry faculty. In addition to being honored, all Foote Fellows receive a stipend spread out between two academic years.
The Christopher S. Foote Fellowship in Organic Chemistry was established in 2005 by his former co-workers and UCLA colleagues to honor UCLA organic chemistry professor Dr. Christopher S. Foote on his 70th birthday. Foote (pictured at top) and his wife, Professor Judi Smith, donated the remaining funds needed to fully fund the endowment. Sadly, Foote passed away soon after the fellowship was established. His 43-year academic career at UCLA established Foote as one of the world leaders in the field of physical organic chemistry.
UCLA is fortunate to benefit from the continuing outstanding service and support of Smith, who was the Dean of Undergraduate Education and the Founding Dean of the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.
About the 2026 Senior Foote Fellows
Branden Chaffin grew up in Camarillo, California and graduated with a B.S. in Chemistry and B.A. in Biology from Westmont College in 2022. There, he worked in Professor Amanda Silberstein’s group developing synthetic methods using C(sp2)–H activation for cross-coupling reactions. In 2023, he began his graduate studies at UCLA in the laboratory of Professor Abigail Doyle. His studies primarily focus on elucidating photophysical mechanisms of nickel catalysis and leveraging machine learning and data science tools to predict and optimize catalytic reactions.
Allison Clark grew up in Los Altos, California and earned her B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Southern California. As an undergraduate, she worked with Professor Megan Fieser on the development of rare earth metal-containing ionic liquid catalysts for the synthesis of epoxide/cyclic anhydride copolymers. Allison began her Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry at UCLA in 2023 in the laboratory of Professor Neil Garg. Her research in the Garg lab focuses on the design and synthesis of geometrically distorted alkenes and their application in complexity-generating transformations. Outside of the lab, Allison is involved in the Garg lab’s educational outreach initiatives and enjoys running, backpacking, and scuba diving.
Alexander Maertens grew up in Cupertino, California, and graduated with a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Southern California in 2021. There, he worked with Professor Travis Williams on the synthesis and mechanistic elucidation of Ir transfer hydrogenation catalysts for applications in biofuel upcycling. Alex then worked as a medicinal chemist at Johnson and Johnson for two years, applying data-driven approaches towards the development of immunotherapeutics. In 2023, he began pursuing his Ph.D. at UCLA as a co-advised student in the laboratories of Professor Kendall N. Houk and Professor Abigail Doyle. His work focuses on the application of modern computational and machine learning tools for understanding and predicting chemical reaction mechanisms.
Giulianna Miseo grew up in Bernardsville, New Jersey, and earned her B.S. in Chemistry/Biochemistry from the University of California, San Diego in 2020. Following graduation, she worked at Bristol Myers Squibb as a medicinal chemist working in oncology research. Giulianna began pursuing her Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry at UCLA in the summer of 2023 in the laboratory of Professor Neil Garg. Her research in the Garg lab focuses on the application of highly strained and geometrically distorted compounds in the total synthesis of complex molecules. Outside of lab work, she enjoys rock climbing, photography, baking, and spending time with her cats.
Christina Rivera grew up in San Diego, California, and obtained her B.S. in Chemistry with a Biochemistry emphasis from San Diego State University (SDSU). At SDSU, she worked with Professor Byron Purse on the synthesis of fluorescent tricyclic pyrimidine nucleoside analogs. Christina began pursuing her Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry at UCLA in the summer of 2023 and is currently a member of the laboratory of Professor Neil Garg. Her studies primarily focus on harnessing the reactivity of geometrically distorted π-systems to access complex, three-dimensional frameworks of interest to the synthetic community. Outside of lab work, Christina enjoys running, hiking, and other outdoor activities.
Penny Jennings, UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, penjen@g.ucla.edu.
