The Vura-Weis Research Group
Principal Investigator
Dr. Josh Vura-Weis
Professor and Associate Head of Major Projects, Department of Chemistry,
Deputy Director, I-MRSEC,
2010-2013 NSF ACC-F Post-doctoral fellow, University of California, Berkeley (S.R. Leone)
2009 Ph.D. Northwestern University (M.A. Ratner and M.R. Wasielewski)
1999 B.S. Stanford University
Chemistry & Life Sciences Laboratory A124
600 South Matthews Ave
Urbana, IL, 61801
(217) 244-44126
vuraweis@illinois.edu
Postdocs
Meghan Orr
2024 Ph.D. University of Michigan
Graduate Students
Max Andren
2024 B.S. Webster University
Maren Johnsen
2023 B.S. University of Oslo
Erin Nicholas
2022 B.S. Arkansas State University
Peisen Qian
2022 B.S. University of Science and Technology of China
Brandon Rasmussen
2021 B.S. University of Oregon
Laura Smith
2021 B.S. Truman State University
Justin Malme
2020 B.S. Rowan University
Undergraduate Students
Audrey Sugg
Chemistry, UIUC class of 2029
Nishka Saxena
Data Science and Astronomy, UIUC class of 2028
Former Members
Mandela Philips
BS in Astrophysics, 2025
Jacky Burke, Ph.D. 2025
Postdoc at Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste with Majed Chergui
Lauren Boedicker, Ph.D. 2025
Kailyn Schueller, M.S. 2025
Instructor and Laboratory Manager, Mount St. Joseph University
Chandler Solomon, 2024 St. Elmo Brady Scholar
Ph.D. student in Chemical and Biological Enginneering at Clemson University
Rachel Wallick, Ph.D. 2024
Postdoc, Argonne National Lab (Young group)
Conner Dykstra, Ph.D. 2023
Staff Scientist, NSF NeXUS Facility
Grant Barton
2019 B.S. University of California, Berkeley
Clare Leahy, Ph.D. 2022
Dow Chemical
Aastha Sharma, Ph.D. 2022
Intel Corp
Yusef Shari'ati, Ph.D. 2022
Lam Research
Taylor Curry, 2021 St. Elmo Brady Scholar
Chemist 1, CryoLife
Kori Sye, Ph.D 2021
Radiometer (part of Danaher Corp)
Sudharsan "Suds" Dwaraknath, Ph.D. 2021
Co-Founder and CEO, Quorum Bio
Kris Benke, Ph.D 2021
Science Communications Officer, Cell Press
Ryan Ash, Ph.D 2020
Teledyne Corp
Kaili Zhang, Ph.D. 2019
Data Scientist, Intel
Michaela Carlson, Ph.D. 2018
Associate Professor, Kansas Wesleyan University
Elizabeth Ryland, Ph.D. 2019
Assistant Professor, Western Washington University
Max Verkamp, Ph.D. 2019
Assistant Professor, Hanover College
