Graduate Students
Shaoren Yuan
B.S. in Chemistry, University of Minnesota
Joined 2017
Bio: Shaoren is from Luoyang, China. During his undergraduate studies at University of Minnesota, he worked with Prof. Distefano on synthesis of isoprenoid probes. Shaoren joined the France lab in the spring of 2018, and he is currently working on developing new methods towards C-H functionalization via acceptor-acceptor metal-carbene. Outside of lab, Shaoren likes playing video games and watching anime.
Caria Evans
B.S. in Chemistry, University of Georgia
Joined 2021
Bio: Caria Evans is a fourth year Ph.D. student in Chemistry, and her research focuses ondeveloping new biotechnology for the modification of proteins. She was born and raised in Atlanta, Ga. She knows firsthand how important both diversity and retention are in the STEM fields. She plans to pursue a career in academia and be a source of representation in the Chemistry community. She loves to watch movies and football in her spare time.
Hailey Areheart
B.S. in Chemistry, University of South Carolina
Joined 2020
Bio: Hailey received her bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and minor in Biology from the University of South Carolina. During her undergraduate years, she did research in Dr. Linda Shimizu’s lab on triphenylamine macrocycles. She also maintained an internship at The Ritedose Corporation, a pharmaceutical manufacturer, working in the chemistry lab. She joined Georgia Tech in 2020 to pursue a PhD in Organic Chemistry. In the Spring of 2021, she started working in the France lab with a focus in natural product synthesis. In her free time, Hailey enjoys painting, reading novels, and swimming.
William John Berkey
B.S. in Chemistry, Davidson College
Joined 2021
Bio: William received his BS in chemistry from Davidson college working for Dr. Durwin Striplin and Dr. Hanna Key. William joined the France lab in the fall of 2021 and is working in collaboration with Dr. Christopher Jones on upcycling of carbohydrates to yield furan-containing building blocks as platform chemicals and precursors to value-added fuels, materials, and products though the Renewable Bioproducts Institute Fellowship. Outside of the lab William loves to cook, exercise, and hang out with friends.
Joshua Saito
B.S. in Biochemistry and Forensic Science, Chaminade University of Honolulu
Joined 2021
Bio: Josh completed his Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Forensic Science at Chaminade University of Honolulu. After graduation, he did post-bachelorette research at Chaminade University till joining the France Lab in Fall 2021 under the ACS Bridge program. He is studying diversifying the use of homo-Nazarov reactions for further use in natural product synthesis. In his free time, Josh enjoys golfing at various golf courses, cooking, and spending time with friends.
