This summer, we bid farewell to former Teacher-Scholar Rajat Maji, and we welcome our newest Teacher-Scholars Martin-Louis Riu and Eric Wu.
Our Teacher-Scholar program allows postdoctoral scholars to experience research and teaching at the same time as a way to prepare them for future faculty or research positions.

Dr. Rajat Maji (2023-2024 Donald J. Cram Teacher-Scholar, Doyle group) received an NIH Pathway to Independence award (K99/R00) postdoctoral fellowship and continues his research in Professor Abigail Doyle’s group, where he designs radical polar crossover reactions. To promote synergy between theory and experimentation, Rajat created an online platform: VISTA. Maji previously taught three organic lecture classes, including the largest UCLA undergrad class, with a total enrollment of more than 500. Maji cherishes this opportunity to teach while researching as it prepares him better for future challenges.

Dr. Martin-Louis Riu (2024-25 Donald J. Cram Teacher-Scholar, Nava group) joined our Teacher-Scholar Instructional Faculty in July 2024. He will be teaching Structure of Organic Molecules (14C).
As part of his new position, Riu conducts research in Professor Matthew Nava’s group as a postdoctoral scholar, where he is designing new reagents and reactions for the activation of small molecules and the synthesis of binary materials.”
Riu is a native of Los Angeles, California, and earned his B.S. degree at Emory University, where he studied photoredox catalyzed carbon-carbon bond forming reactions under Professor Nate Jui. He went on to obtain his Ph.D. in chemistry under the guidance of Professor Christopher “Kit” C. Cummins at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). At MIT, Riu developed new reagents and reactions for the synthesis of phosphorus-containing tetrahedranes, heterocycles, and materials. Upon completion of his doctoral degree, he underwent postdoctoral training at the California Institute of Technology with Professor Hosea Nelson, where he investigated organocatalytic methods of generating and controlling the reactivity of two-coordinate carbocations.

Dr. Eric Wu (2024-25 Willard Libby Teacher-Scholar, Schwartz group) joined our Teacher-Scholar Instructional Faculty in July 2024. He will be teaching physical chemistry classes.
As part of his new position, Wu conducts research in Professor Benjamin Schwartz’s group as a postdoctoral scholar, where he studies the dynamics of solvated electrons using transient absorption spectroscopy and the thermodynamics of doped conjugated polymers using simulations.
Wu received his B.S. degree in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2011. As an undergraduate, he conducted research in the labs of Professor Andrew Streitwieser and Professor Richard J. Saykally. In the Streitwieser lab, he studied the kinetic and equilibrium lithium acidities of arenes and substituted arenes using computational chemistry. In the Saykally lab, he investigated ions at liquid interfaces using sum frequency generation and second harmonic generation.
Wu then earned his Ph.D. in Physical and Computational Chemistry at Carnegie Mellon University in 2017 under the guidance of Professor Linda A. Peteanu and Professor Hyung J. Kim. His research focused on the structural and dynamic heterogeneities in ionic liquids using molecular dynamics simulations and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy.
After receiving his Ph.D., Wu returned to UC Berkeley as a postdoctoral researcher under the supervision of Professor Graham R. Fleming. In the Fleming lab, he studied the relaxation of triphenylmethane dyes and energy transfer in photosynthetic reaction centers using two-dimensional electronic-vibrational spectroscopy. He also contributed to building a spectrometer that utilizes entangled photons.
Wu joined the Schwartz group at UCLA in 2019 as a postdoctoral researcher and was temporarily hired by the department in 2021 as a lecturer to teach physical chemistry.
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Our current Teacher-Scholars Dr. Huiling Shao (2021-2022 Donald J. Cram Teacher-Scholar, Houk group), Dr. Mackenzie Anderson (2022-25 Willard F. Libby Teacher-Scholar, Kaner group), and Dr. Chau Ngo (2023-2024 Donald J. Cram Teacher-Scholar, Backus group) will continue to teach undergraduate chemistry and biochemistry courses and conduct research in the 2024-25 academic year.
About the Boyer/Cram/Libby Teacher-Scholar Program
The Teacher-Scholar positions honor UCLA Chemistry & Biochemistry Department Nobel Laureates Paul D. Boyer, Donald J. Cram, and Willard F. Libby, and recognize their many contributions to the advancement of chemistry and biochemistry. Boyer/Cram/Libby Teacher-Scholars are expected to serve for three years, with the initial appointment for one year, plus the possibility of renewal annually. They are expected to teach three one-quarter undergraduate chemistry or biochemistry courses during a given academic year and conduct postdoctoral research with a sponsoring faculty member in the UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry.
About our Former Teacher-Scholars
Our Teacher-Scholars represent the finest educators and researchers in their respective fields. Though we are always sad to say goodbye, we are confident they will continue to make significant contributions to the world.
Dr. Agape Awad (2018-2020 Paul D. Boyer Teacher-Scholar, C. Clarke group) is currently an Extended Studies Biochemistry Professor at the University of California, San Diego Extension.
Dr. Christian Beren (2018-2020 Willard F. Libby Teacher-Scholar, Gelbart/Knobler group) in August 2020, Beren started a position as an assistant teaching professor at the Colorado School of Mines in Chemistry. At Mines, Christian teaches a combination of general chemistry, physical chemistry and biochemistry/biophysics courses.
Dr. Marlius Castillo (2019-2021 Donald J. Cram Teacher-Scholar, García-Garibay group) is currently an Assistant Professor of Instruction in the Department of Chemistry and Physics at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee.
Dr. Shuming Chen (2016-2019 Donald J. Cram Teacher-Scholar, Houk group) July 2020, Chen accepted a position as Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Oberlin College in Ohio.
Dr. Zhao Li (our first 2016-2019 Willard F. Libby Teacher-Scholar, Lin group) is currently a Lead Data Scientist at dave.com.
Dr. Rajat Maji (2023-2024 Donald J. Cram Teacher-Scholar, Doyle group) is currently conducting research in Professor Abigail Doyle’s group as a NIH Pathway to independence award (K99/R00) postdoctoral fellow.
Dr. Anish Nag (2019-2021 Paul D. Boyer Teacher-Scholar, Gelbart group) started a new position as Process Development Scientist-Drug Product Technology at Amgen in Thousand Oaks in August 2021. His position is within the pre-pivotal stage manufacturing group and involves process optimization of drug candidates.
Dr. Sharon Neufeldt (our first 2013-2016 Donald J. Cram Postdoctoral Teacher-Scholar, Houk group) is currently an associate professor of chemistry at Montana State University.
Dr. Rachel Prado (2017-2019 Donald J. Cram Teacher-Scholar, Bouchard group) In 2019, Prado returned to her home state of Alabama to accept an organic chemistry and biochemistry lecturer position at Auburn University.
Dr. Roshini Ramachandran (2017-2019 Paul D. Boyer Teacher-Scholar, Spokoyny group) is currently the Assistant Director of Curricular Initiatives at the UCLA Center for the Advancement of Teaching. She continues to teach undergraduate courses for the department.
Dr. Jacquelin Kammeyer Woodford (our first 2016-2019 Paul D. Boyer Teacher-Scholar, Maynard group) is a Lecturer in Chemistry at Wellesley College.
Information above as of 10/18/24. Penny Jennings, UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, penny@chem.ucla.edu.