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C&EN's Talented 12
Whether exploring early life or probing reactions in outer space, these rising stars are taking on some of the most vexing challenges in the chemical universe
Welcome to the fourth annual Talented 12 issue. We’ve spent months searching high and low for these bright, young scientific minds and are excited to finally introduce you to them.
Here, you’ll meet a dozen chemists pushing the boundaries in their fields. To say they are tackling life’s great mysteries would be an understatement. The interests of these distinguished researchers include deciphering the chemistry that enabled life on Earth, exploring molecules in far-flung parts of our solar system, designing out-of-this-world materials that can store energy or mimic human organs, and developing technology to precisely alter the code of life.
Whether exploring early life or probing reactions in outer space, these rising stars are taking on some of the most vexing challenges in the chemical universe
Welcome to the fourth annual Talented 12 issue. We’ve spent months searching high and low for these bright, young scientific minds and are excited to finally introduce you to them.
Here, you’ll meet a dozen chemists pushing the boundaries in their fields. To say they are tackling life’s great mysteries would be an understatement. The interests of these distinguished researchers include deciphering the chemistry that enabled life on Earth, exploring molecules in far-flung parts of our solar system, designing out-of-this-world materials that can store energy or mimic human organs, and developing technology to precisely alter the code of life.
Stats & Facts
9
Number of languages spoken
Dutch, English, French, German, Korean, Mandarin, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish
33
Average age
353
Number of peer-reviewed papers published
13
Number of patents filed
Here are the locales our 12 have called home then and now
Key
- Darryl Boyd
- Morgan Cable
- Connor Coley
- Pedro García Barrantes
- Nicole Gaudelli
- Roxanne Kieltyka
- Joseph Moran
- Cathy Mulzer
- Mónica Pérez-Temprano
- Jose Rodriguez
- Luisa Whittaker-Brooks
- Y. Shrike Zhang
Key
- Darryl Boyd
- Morgan Cable
- Connor Coley
- Pedro García Barrantes
- Nicole Gaudelli
- Roxanne Kieltyka
- Joseph Moran
- Cathy Mulzer
- Mónica Pérez-Temprano
- Jose Rodriguez
- Luisa Whittaker-Brooks
- Y. Shrike Zhang
Lab loves
This year’s Talented 12 say they can’t survive without these things in the lab
Credit: Shutterstock
Darryl Boyd: Sticky notes
“My desk is littered with sticky notes on which I jot down new research ideas that I want to pursue.”
Credit: Shutterstock
Morgan Cable: A head scarf
“Gotta keep the wisps of hair out of the eyes when working with chemicals!”
Credit: Shutterstock
Connor Coley: Graphical processing units
Coley says this computer hardware that speeds calculations is “without a doubt” most vital to his work.
Credit: Courtesy of Pedro García Barrantes
Pedro García Barrantes: Liquid chromatograph/mass spectrometer
“It allows you to have a lot of information about your reaction in just a couple of minutes, and with minimal sample preparation.”
Credit: Shutterstock
Nicole Gaudelli: Twelve-channel pipettors
Credit: Courtesy of Roxanne Kieltyka
Roxanne Kieltyka: Flash chromatography system
Credit: Shutterstock
Joseph Moran: Gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer
“But our view of the Notre Dame de Strasbourg cathedral is a close second.”
Credit: Shutterstock
Cathy Mulzer: Paper notebook
“I love the ability to grab a pen and some paper to explain what I am working on in the lab.”
Credit: Courtesy of Mónica Pérez-Temprano
Mónica Pérez-Temprano: Nuclear magnetic resonance equipment
Credit: Shutterstock
Jose Rodriguez: Coffee
Credit: Shutterstock
Luisa Whittaker-Brooks: Glove box
Credit: Андрей Ильин/Business Journal/Wikimedia Commons
Y. Shrike Zhang: 3-D bioprinter
This device, Zhang says, allows his group to precisely deposit cells while building miniature versions of organs called organoids.
Lab mascots
Some of our 12 use these to motivate their groups
Morgan Cable: A stuffed echidna in Cable’s lab represents a collaboration with the Australian Nuclear Science & Technology Organisation, which names its instruments after native animals.
Credit: Courtesy of Morgan Cable
Cathy Mulzer: Mulzer says she will forever be a “Dichtel hummingbird.” Ph.D. adviser William Dichtel, who at the time was at Cornell University, tells his students they are a small group that continuously needs to thirst for science and knowledge, like hummingbirds.
Credit: Dichtel Research Group
Mónica Pérez-Temprano: Pérez-Temprano’s lab mascot is a stuffed unicorn, she says, because one of the biggest challenges her students face is trapping highly reactive intermediates, which is like trying to chase a unicorn.
Credit: Courtesy of Mónica Pérez-Temprano
Jose Rodriguez: Rodriguez’s lab has a pet succulent plant named Leon-II.
Credit: Courtesy of Jose Rodriguez
Luisa Whittaker-Brooks: Whittaker-Brooks’s dog, Tank, “keeps everyone in check.”
Credit: Courtesy of Luisa Whittaker-BrooksOur 2018 selection process
To assemble this list, we consulted our staff, C&EN’s advisory board, and Talented 12 alumni. And we were blown away by the many nominations from readers submitted through an online form. A lengthy research and evaluation process of roughly 350 people led us to the names before you today.
Talented 12 contributors
Site and page design by Tchad K. Blair and Robert Bryson
Profile illustrations by Joel Kimmel
Research graphics by Yang H. Ku/Will Ludwig/C&EN
Production by Melissa T. Gilden, Samantha H. Jones, Manny I. Fox Morone, Jessica Morrison, and Alexandra A. Taylor
Profiles written by Celia Henry Arnaud, Ryan Cross, Matt Davenport, Carmen Drahl, Bethany Halford, Tien M. Nguyen, and Michael Torrice
Editing and project oversight by Lisa M. Jarvis and Lauren K. Wolf
About Funding Support
C&EN editorial staff produced this feature with funding from Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., which did not influence any editorial decisions.
Profiles
C&EN’s Talented 12
Whether exploring early life or probing reactions in outer space, these rising stars are taking on some of the most vexing challenges in the chemical universe
by Michael Torrice
August 19, 2018
| A version of this story appeared in
Volume 96, Issue 33
Credit: C&EN
COVER STORY
C&EN’s Talented 12
More online
Find interactive features and nominate next year’s Talented 12 at cenm.ag/t12.
Contents
Profiles P.40–69
Stats & facts P.50–51
Laboratory loves P.60–61
Talented 12 alumni: Where are they now? P.70–71
Welcome to the fourth annual Talented 12 issue. We’ve spent months searching high and low for these bright, young scientific minds and are excited to finally introduce you to them.
In the following pages, you’ll meet a dozen chemists pushing the boundaries in their fields. To say they are tackling life’s great mysteries would be an understatement. The interests of these distinguished researchers include deciphering the chemistry that enabled life on Earth, exploring molecules in far-flung parts of our solar system, designing out-of-this-world materials that can store energy or mimic human organs, and developing technology to precisely alter the code of life.
To assemble this list, we consulted our staff, C&EN’s advisory board, and Talented 12 alumni. And we were blown away by the many nominations readers submitted through an online form. A lengthy research and evaluation process of roughly 350 people led us to the names before you today. This tenacious bunch are sure to wow the chemistry community with their discoveries for years to come.
Talented 12 contributors
Site and page design by Tchad K. Blair and Robert Bryson
Profile illustrations by Joel Kimmel
Research graphics by Yang H. Ku/Will Ludwig/C&EN
Production by Melissa T. Gilden, Samantha H. Jones, Manny I. Fox Morone, and Alexandra A. Taylor
Editing and project oversight by Lisa M. Jarvis and Lauren K. Wolf.
Chemical & Engineering News
ISSN 0009-2347
Copyright © 2025 American Chemical Society
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