The Martin Lab

At The University of Iowa

Principal Investigator

Dave Martin Profile

Dave Martin

Dave Martin was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and spent a lot of time growing up hiking, camping and snowboarding in the Canadian Rockies west of Calgary. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of British Columbia, where he did research in the group of Prof. Greg Dake. Dave also spent one year in Siegen, Germany as an exchange student where he developed an appreciation for polyglots and delicious German beers. In 2005, he moved to Montreal for an internship at the Merck-Frosst Centre for Therapeutic Research, working in the Medicinal Chemistry Department. In 2006, Dave started graduate school at the University of California, Irvine where he worked with Prof. Chris Vanderwal on the application of Zincke aldehydes toward the synthesis of Strychnos alkaloids, including a short synthesis of strychnine. After obtaining his Ph.D. in 2011, he moved to Princeton, NJ to pursue post-doctoral research in the lab of Prof. Dave MacMillan. His work in the MacMillan group involved new applications of photoredox catalysis, including the direct beta-arylation of aldehydes and ketones. In July 2014, Dave joined the Chemistry Department at the University of California, Riverside before moving to Iowa in 2019. Dave was promoted to Associate Professor in July 2022. When not in the Chemistry building, before he had a baby, Dave could be found running, brewing or hitting the slopes. Now, he can be found collecting blocks, searching "At what age can kids learn how to ride a bike" and getting some peace and quiet in the garden. Dave will be co-chair of the 2025 Organic Reactions and Processes GRC. There is a great lineup of speakers, so consider attending and supporting this conference.

Lab Members

Graduate Students

Headshot of Mikayla Wymore

Mikayla Wymore
mikayla-wymore@uiowa.edu

B.S. + B.A. University of Iowa
Lab Position: Apprentice Wizard of Photocatalysis
Type: The Observant One
Quote: "Whatever floats your boat."

Headshot of Clarence Peiris

Clarence Peiris
clarence-peiris@uiowa.edu

B.S. The Open University of Sri Lanka
Lab Position: Total Synthesis
Type: Curious
Quote: "Always be cool"

Headshot of Logan Evans

Logan Evans
logan-evans@uiowa.edu

B.S. Monmouth College
Lab Position: Logan
Type: Air
Quote: "Long quote not fit"

Headshot of Henry O'Callaghan

Henry O'Callaghan
henry-ocallaghan@uiowa.edu

B.S. University of Nebraska Lincoln
Lab Position: Begrudging Mailman
Type: Bidoof/Satellite Hooligan
Quote: "This is a stupid idea, but if it works, it's the best idea I've ever had"

Headshot of Emmanuel Yeboah Bonsu

Emmanuel Yeboah Bonsu
emmanuel-bonsu@uiowa.edu

M.S. University of Ghana
Lab Position: Soccer Addict
Type: Slow but Sure
Quote: "You will survive"

Headshot of Ebuka Onyeyilim

Ebuka Onyeyilim
ebuka-onyeyilim@uiowa.edu

M.S. University of Nigeria, Nsukka
Lab Position: Total Synthesis
Type: Derivatives
Quote: "You can do it"

Headshot of Matteo Mannara

Matteo Mannara
matteo-mannara@uiowa.edu

B.A. College of the Holy Cross
Lab Position: Your Cousin from Boston
Type: Grass
Quote: "The plan is simple"

Headshot of Egzona Tahiri

Egzona Tahiri
egzona-tahiri@uiowa.edu

M.S. Western Illinois University
Lab Position: TBD
Type:TBD
Quote: TBD

Post-Docs

Undergraduate Students

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Emily Veksler
emily-veksler@uiowa.edu

Lab Position: TBD
Type: TBD
Quote:

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Steve Zeng
steve-zeng@uiowa.edu

Lab Position: TBD
Type: TBD
Quote:

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Abby Trosper
abby-trosper@uiowa.edu

Lab Position: TBD
Type: TBD
Quote:

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Kazao Vang
abby-trosper@uiowa.edu

Lab Position: TBD
Type: TBD
Quote:

Graduate Students

Headshot of Cory Ludwig

Cory Ludwig
cory-ludwig@uiowa.edu

M.S. SUNY, Oswego
Lab Position: Bad-Luck Charm
Type: Always Mysterious
Quote: "It could always be worse."

Headshot of Nicholas Ryan

Nicholas Ryan
nick-ryan@uiowa.edu

B.S. Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
Lab Position: Chairman of the Tortured Chemists Department
Type: Radical
Quote: "So ahead of the curve, the curve became a sphere"

Headshot of Hoang Dang

Hoang Dang
hoang-dang@uiowa.edu

B.S. California State University, Long Beach
Lab Position: HBIC / Resident DJ
Type: Secretly Anxious
Quote: "Can you please walk faster?"

Headshot of Zetandro Banarjee

Zetandro Banarjee
zetandro-benarjee@uiowa.edu

M.S. Missouri State University Southeast
Lab Position: Trained on Every Instrument
Type: Morally Opposed to Hand Columns
Quote: "WHAT'S UP [insert name here]!"

Headshot of Anayah Ferris

Anayah Ferris
anayah-ferris@uiowa.edu

B.S. University of the Virgin Islands
Lab Position: Soca Executive
Type: Lowkey Bougie
Quote: "Oh chicken!"

Headshot of Madeline Parker

Madeline Parker
madeline-parker@uiowa.edu

B.S. University of Dubuque
M.S. University of Iowa, 2021
Lab Position: The Safety Queen
Type: The one with school spirit
Quote: "My humor is like my hard cider: medium-dry."

Headshot of Bill Weigel

Bill Weigel
william-weigel@uiowa.edu

B.S. Cal Poly, Pomona
Ph.D. UC Riverside, 2020
Lab Position: Wit Master
Type: Fire/Fighting
Quote: "Is 14% yield good enough?"

Headshot of Kyle Arriola

Kyle Arriola

B.S. University of Redlands
Last known whereabouts: Graduated with PhD from UC Riverside (2022)

Headshot of Abigail Feceu

Abigail Feceu

B.S. Cal Poly, Pomona
Ph.D. UC Riverside, 2019
Lab Position: Tsarina
Type: Amicably sassy, Sinfully polite
Quote: "I could be wrong, but I'm not."

Headshot of Dana Chambers

Dana Chambers

B.S. North Carolina State University
Ph.D. UC Riverside, 2019
Lab Position: Queen Bee
Type: Sassy, approach with coffee
Quote: "Is it nap time?"

Headshot of Taylor Alexander

Taylor Alexander

B.S. Indiana University, Bloomington
Lab Position: Print Master General
Type: Formula 1 Weightlifter
Quote: "Does anybody want coffee?"

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Travis Clay

B.A. Berea College
M.S. University of California, Riverside, 2017

Headshot of Jake McClinton

Jake McClinton

B.S. University of Nebraska
M.S. University of California, Riverside, 2016

Headshot of Raymond Sullivan

Raymond Sullivan

B.S. University of San Diego
M.S. University of California, Riverside, 2016

Headshot of Josiah Jackson

Josiah Jackson
Rotation Student

B.S. Bradley University
M.S. University of California, Riverside, 2016 (Beran Lab)

Post-Docs

Headshot of Jacob Hackbarth

Jacob
jacob-hackbarth@uiowa.edu

Ph.D. University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
Lab Position: The Inquirer
Type: Fire
Quote: "My first DnD campaign, I was a rogue."

Headshot of Ayesha Khan

Ayesha Khan
ayesha-khan@uiowa.edu

Ph.D. Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences
Lab Position: Go Up, Go Down, Stop, Again
Type: Air-sensitive, Heat-sensitive, Light-sensitive
Quote: "Allah will see your pursuit not accomplishment"

Headshot of Alexander Ramos

Alexander Ramos
alexander-ramos@uiowa.edu

Ph.D. Brigham Young University
Lab Position:
Type:
Quote:

Headshot of Isiaka Owolabi

Isiaka Owolabi
isiaka-owolabi@uiowa.edu

Ph.D. Muroran Institute of Technology, Japan
Lab Position: The Runner
Type: Water
Quote: "No limit."

Headshot of Shalini

Shalini
shalini@uiowa.edu

Ph.D. Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, India
Lab Position: Learner
Type: Nucleophile
Quote: TBD

Headshot of Mersad Raeisi

Mersad Raeisi
mersad-raeisi@uiowa.edu

Ph.D. Ohio University
Lab Position: Nano Car King
Type: Coffee and Protein Bars
Quote: "Sure."

Headshot of Esmat Sodagar

Esmat Sodagar

B.S. Birjord University, Iran
M.S. Shiraz University, Iran
Ph.D. Modares University, Iran
Sabbatical: University of Pennsylvania
Quote: "The most effective way to do it, is to do it"

Headshot of Haibin Yang

Haibin Yang

B.S. Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
Ph.D. Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry
Post-doc: Stockholm University, Sweden

Undergraduate Students

Headshot of Tyler Brown

Tyler Brown
tyler-k-brown@uiowa.edu

Lab Position: Jacob's Stooge
Type: Consumption
Quote: "Quotes are silly"

Headshot of Thomas Phillips

Tommy Branstad Phillips
thomas-a-phillips@uiowa.edu

Lab Position: Taste Tester
Type: Organomercury
GHS Signal Word: Danger
Quote: "Never trust atoms... They lie."

Headshot of Lily Poci

Lily Poci
lily-poci@uiowa.edu

Lab Position: TBD
Type: TBD
Quote: TBD

Headshot of Jennifer Suarez

Jennifer Suarez
jennifer-suarez@uiowa.edu

Lab Position: The Undergrad
Type: Energetic
Quote: "Hot Take: Ketchup is better than ranch"

Headshot of Seth Patterson

Seth Patterson
seth-patterson@uiowa.edu

Lab Position: Cory's Undergrad
Type: N/A
Quote: N/A

Headshot of Darrell Smith

Darrell Smith
darrell-smith@uiowa.edu

Lab Position: Genius in Training
Type: Serotonin + Questions
Quote: "Have a wonderful day!"

Headshot of Vaani Gupta

Vaani Gupta
vaani-gupta@uiowa.edu

Visiting scholar from Grinnell College
Lab Position: Spring Intern
Type: N/A
Quote: N/A

Headshot of Isabella Jacobsen

Isabella Jacobsen
isabella-jacobsen@uiowa.edu

Visiting scholar from Grinnell College
Lab Position: Column Queen
Type: Garage Rock Vinyl
Quote: "I want my data and I want it now."

Headshot of Lauren Sangster

Lauren Sangster

B.S. University of California, Riverside, 2017
Major: Biochemistry
Awards: UE Mini-Grant Recipient
Current Position: Masters program at University of Toledo

Headshot of Johny Man Nguyen

Johny Man Nguyen

B.S. University of California, Riverside, 2017
Major: Chemical Engineering
UC LEADS Scholar
Current Position: Graduate Student, Vanderbilt University

Headshot of Jack I-Chieh Wang

Jack I-Chieh Wang

B.S. University of California, Riverside, 2016 (honors)
Major: Biochemistry
Awards: HHMI EXROP recipient, 2016 ACS Organic Undergraduate Award winner
Current Position: Graduate Student, Yale University

Headshot of Le Nguyen

Le Nguyen

B.S. University of California, Riverside, 2017
Major: Chemistry

Headshot of Ellen Gao

Ellen Gao

B.S. University of California, Riverside, 2018
Major: Biology
Awards: UE Mini-Grant Recipient

Headshot of Bryan Maldonado

Bryan Maldonado

Major: Chemistry
Lab Position: Fledgling Furylator

Headshot of Partho Kumar Paul

Partho Kumar Paul

Major: Chemical Engineering
Awards: UE minigrant recipient, UC LEADS scholar