The Team
Lucia Yuan | PhD Student | G1
M.S. in Chemistry at the University of Alabama
B.Eng. Beijing University of Chemical Technology
Lucia is from Mainland China. She is a Ph.D. student at the Department of Chemistry. Outside of the lab, she enjoys yoga, pilates, reading, and traveling. She also has a super adorable labrador retriever!
Konpal Raheja | PhD Student | G1
M.S. in Chemistry | Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, India
B.S. in Chemistry | The University of Delhi, India
Konpal is from India. She is a first-year PhD student. Outside of the lab, she enjoys painting, sketching, dancing and listening to songs.
Thomas Syphan | CWRU Medical School | 1st year
(Co-advised with Dr. Faruk Orge, MD | UH Hospitals)
B.S. in Biochemistry with a minor in Math | St. Vincent College, PA
Thomas is from New Florence, PA near Pittsburgh. He is just starting his first year of medical school at Case Western Reserve University after graduating from St. Vincent College with a BSc in Biochemistry and a minor in math. Thomas loves both medicine and chemistry, especially the areas where the two intersect. When not nerding out on one or both of these interests, you can find him running, mountain biking, rock climbing, bird watching, or hanging out with his pets, Leo the Ball Python and Sam the Tarantula.
Sophia Beilharz | Undergraduate Researcher | UG2
Sophia is from Erie, Pennsylvania, and joined the Karayilan Lab in 2022. She is a second-year student pursuing a BS in chemistry on the pre-medical track. Outside of the lab, she is a member of the club water polo team and enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with her friends.
Daniele Vinella | Undergraduate Researcher | UG3
Daniele is from San Jose, California. He is a junior pursuing a BS in Chemistry as well as a BA in Psychology. Outside of the lab, he is a Hungarian Scout and enjoys listening to music and watching movies.
Megan Gibas | Undergraduate Researcher | UG3
Megan is from Cleveland, Ohio. She is a junior pursuing a degree in chemical biology. Outside of the lab, she likes to run, socialize, and hang out with her cats!
Jaimie Lwin | Undergraduate Researcher | UG2
Jaimie is from Bethesda, Maryland. She is a sophomore pursuing a BS in biochemistry and a minor in music. Outside of the lab, she plays with the Case/University Circle Symphony Orchestra and enjoys drawing and singing.
Anuj Pahuja | Undergraduate Researcher | UG3
Anuj is a third year Chemistry major here at CWRU. He is a certified EMT and love working on the road in our ambulance and helping the community! He is a huge Cavs fan and loves going to games during the season, as well as playing some basketball with his friends. He is excited to work at Karayilan Research Lab and hopefully make big strides in the field of polymer chemistry!