Lab Members

PI

Cathy Y. Wong (cwong3-at-uoregon.edu) she/her
B.Sc. (Biological Chemistry) McMaster University
Ph.D. (Physical Chemistry) University of Toronto
Postdoc (Physical Chemistry) University of California, Berkeley2021 – A.J. Ersted Award for Distinguished Teaching
2020 – Emerging Scholar for Diverse: Issues In Higher Education magazine
2018 – NSF CAREER Award
2018 – ACS Petroleum Research Fund Doctoral New Investigator
2011 – NSERC Postdoctoral FellowshipI grew up in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, and enjoy camping, sports, cooking, and data.
 

Graduate Students

Zach Walbrun (zwalbrun-at-uoregon.edu) he/him
B.Sc. (Chemistry and Mathematics) University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
I am from Appleton, Wisconsin and have enjoyed the puzzles of chemistry and mathematics since the early days of high school. As time went on, this was fostered into a passion for teaching, already holding chemistry review sessions in high school. This was developed further into a love for not only teaching, but enjoying learning chemistry, and now asking the questions! I attended the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (GO BLUGOLDS!) and completed my B.Sc. in both chemistry and mathematics. I also participated in choir, one of my other passions, for many years throughout high school and undergrad. In my free time, I can be found hiking, biking, taking spontaneous road trips, typing up notes on LaTeX or enjoying the latest game Nintendo has to offer.
Laila Nawab (lnawab-at-uoregon.edu) she/her
B.Sc. (Chemistry) Indiana University Northwest
I am from Northwest Indiana and have been interested in Chemistry ever since my first advanced classes in high school. For undergrad, I went to Indiana University Northwest, where I received a B.Sc. in Chemistry and minors in Math and Spanish. Getting involved in research during my undergrad initiated my interest in pursuing Chemistry beyond the undergraduate level. I came to the University of Oregon in the fall of 2021 and joined the lab the following summer. Outside of lab, I enjoy hiking with friends, rooting for my favorite Chicago sports teams, and trying new food!
 

Undergraduate Students

Aine Hoban (ahoban-at-uoregon.edu) she/her
I’m from Bend, Oregon and I’ve loved chemistry since my first reaction coordinate diagram in high school chemistry! In freshman gen chem I developed an interest in understanding the physical phenomena fundamental to the chemical reactions I learned about, and I’m excited I get to pursue this passion in a research setting! At the UO, I am currently pursuing a B.S. in chemistry and a minor in computer science. In my free time I enjoy baking, knitting and crochet, photography, biking, running, rock climbing and hiking. A fun fact about myself is I can name any Taylor Swift song from hearing the first few seconds!
Logan Russo (lrusso3-at-uoregon.edu) he/him
I graduated from West Salem High School in 2021. I developed a passion for chemistry and the medical field, particularly radiology. Currently, I’m pursuing a bachelor’s degree in chemistry with a pre-med focus here at the University of Oregon. My interest in radiology introduced me to the field of physical chemistry, and I joined the Wong Lab early in my freshman year. When I’m not in the lab, I love playing and watching sports, mainly football and lacrosse!
Nick Frainey (nfrainey-at-uoregon.edu) he/him
I’m from Beaverton, Oregon and am currently pursuing a B.Sc. in chemistry here at the UO. I’ve loved chemistry since freshman year of high school in large part due to a fantastic teacher who pushed me and made chemistry incredibly fun and accessible (shoutout Ms. Farrell!). I’ve always been fascinated about how electrons and molecules move and arrange themselves to make up everything we see around us, and I’m excited to be able to pursue these interests in the Wong Lab! Outside of lab, I love cooking, finding new restaurants with my friends, spending time with my dog, watching football and baseball, and stand-up paddleboarding.
Weston Bodle (wbodle-at-uoregon.edu) he/him
I’m from Dana Point, California and graduated high school in 2021. I found a passion for chemistry here at UO and I have really enjoyed developing my skills within my lab classes. I love looking at how molecules interact with each other and specifically looking at their applications to real world problems! I’m so excited to further my love of chemistry through the Wong Lab and to work with such an amazing team. When I am not in the lab I love playing pickleball, tennis, and soccer, along with cooking and playing chess!
 

Graduate Alumni

Michael Crawford
B.Sc. (Chemistry) Illinois State University
Ph. D. (Physical Chemistry) University of Oregon
Assistant Professor at Truman State University
James Sadighian
B.Sc. (Biochemistry) George Mason University
M.Sc. (Chemistry) George Mason University
Ph. D. (Physical Chemistry) University of Oregon
Postdoctoral Scholar at University of Washington
Morgan Sosa
B.Sc. (Chemistry and Biophysics) University of Washington
Ph. D. (Physical Chemistry) University of Oregon
Data and Analytics Manager at Consejo Counseling & Referral Service
Kelly Wilson
B.Sc. (Chemistry) Brigham Young University – Idaho
Ph. D. (Physical Chemistry) University of Oregon
Research Associate at University of Texas – Austin
 

Undergraduate Alumni

Marty Gruber
Optical Engineer at Maztech Industries
Laura Leibfried
Graduate student at Stanford
Brandon Rasmussen
Graduate student at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Sonja Nusser (highschool student)
Undergraduate student at Syracuse University
Madi Scott
Graduate student at MIT
Grant Hall
Process Engineer at Intel
Emma Waddington
R&D MEMS Process Engineer at FUJIFILM Dimatix, Inc.
Sam Reul
Battery Engineer at EnZinc
Rima Pandit