Adrian Najera| PhD Student: September 2024 - Present
Born and raised in Mexico City, Adrian graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nanotechnology Engineering from Tecnológico de Monterrey. During his undergrad, he worked on building DNA nanotubes and completed an internship with the OAS cybersecurity program. In 2024, he relocated to Montreal to join the Moitessier and Sleiman groups, focusing on computational simulations and machine learning to predict nucleotide puckering. Outside the lab, Adrian enjoys discovering new cities and exploring Montreal, as well as pizza movie nights.
Key Projects: TBD

Ehecatl Guzman Aparicio| PhD Student: September 2024 - Present
Born in Puebla, Mexico and raised between Mexico City and Oaxaca, Mexico. He pursued his HBSc in Biochemistry at the University of Calgary. During his undergraduate years, he worked initially in theoretical and experimental studies on catalysts for site-selective azaheterocycle modification and cross-coupling reactions. He then worked on biomolecular simulations of transmembrane proteins and the implementation of computer-aided drug design protocols. Ehecatl joined the Moitessier group in 2024 to work on the development of drug-design methodologies to combat antimicrobial resistance. Outside the lab, Ehecatl enjoys running, cooking, completing 1000+ piece puzzles, and reading.
Key Projects: TBD

Venelin Petkov| PhD Student: September 2024 - Present
Venelin was born and raised in Sofia, Bulgaria. He obtained a BSc Honours degree in Biochemistry at Concordia University where he subsequently also pursued his MSc in Chemistry. His first research projects focused on medicinal chemistry and drug discovery with the targets being proteins relevant to cancer metastasis and heart tissue repair. His MSc work focused on the synthesis of oligothiophenes and the elucidation of their doping behavior. During this time, he developed a great interest in computational chemistry and ML which motivated him to start his PhD in the Moitessier lab in 2024. In his free time, he likes longboarding, going out with friends and watching science and technology videos on YouTube. He also loves building and modifying computers.
Key Projects: TBD

Adam Dufour| PhD Student: January 2024 - Present
From Sherbrooke, Québec, Adam graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Chemistry. During his studies, he worked on Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs) and computer-aided drug discovery as part of a few internships. His main focus is developing new payloads for ADCs and other drug delivery systems. He also develops tools to support computer-aided drug discovery. Outside the lab, Adam enjoys playing hockey and loves poutine. Go Habs Go!
Key Projects: TBD

Hong Chai (Fabio) Wong| PhD Student: September 2023 - present
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Fabio obtained his BSc degree in Chemistry from The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). During his undergraduate years, he worked as a research helper to do organic synthesis and medicinal chemistry. He also studied the kinetics of photoredox reactions and binding modes of novel catalysts with quantum calculations for two years. In September 2023, Fabio joined the Moitessier group to apply his experience in synthesis and computation on drug discovery. After work, he will rush back home to write and arrange music with his lovely guitar and keyboard. He also enjoys listening to music around the world, playing Classic Tetris and badminton, and sleeping (a lot).
Key Projects: TBD

Thershan Satkunarajah| PhD Student: September 2022 - present
Born in Scarborough and raised throughout the GTA, Thershan obtained his BSc and MSc from Toronto Metropolitan University. In joint collaborations with Dr. John G. Marshall and Dr. Michael F. Olson, his time in the Viirre lab involved synthesizing targets such as BINOL-derived chiral phosphine ligands, zwitterionic thymidine ‘engines’ for an ELiMSA, bicyclo[6.1.0]nonyne-derived molecular probes for protein oxidation studies, and investigating symmetrical photocleavable linkers. In 2022, he moved to Montreal where he joined the Moitessier group and now works on the computer-aided design of small molecule inhibitors for riboswitches. In his free time he enjoys catching up with friends, enjoying a beer, watching anime, and ruining his mood with league of legends…copium.
Key Projects: TBD

Lynn Yamout| PhD Student: January 2022 - present
Lynn was born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon. She obtained her BS and MS in Chemistry from the American University of Beirut. She joined the Moitessier group in 2022 to study G-quadruplex dynamics and their interactions with small molecules. She hopes to utilize computational and biophysical techniques to investigate G-quadruplexes as potential drug targets. In her free time, Lynn enjoys cooking, exploring cute cafes, and watching movies.
Key Projects: Computational and biophysical studies of G-quadruplexes

Benjamin Weiser| PhD Student: October 2021 - present
Born and raised in Ottawa, Benjamin excelled in his undergrad at Carleton University completing his degree in Chemistry and Physics. There he performed physics research for the background group for nEXO working on novel chemical preparation methods for accelerated mass spectrometry. Subsequently, he became interested in AI methods for molecular design and has been pursuing being a valuable researcher in the field. His current work attempts to create predictive AI models for protein-ligand interaction for drug design. He also founded AIChem Mcgill, a club meant to foster collaboration of AI in Chemistry within and outside the department. In his spare time away from the computer, he likes any physical activities, hanging out with friends, and being a plant dad.
Key Projects: Development of machine learning methods for drug discovery

Ho Ying Huang (Kay)| PhD Student: January 2021 - present
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Kay completed her BSc in Chemistry at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. To jump out of the comfort zone, she then came to Montréal to pursue her MSc in Chemistry at Concordia University. She worked on polymers and lanthanide-doped nanoparticles for antibacterial application. She continues her PhD in Chemistry as a member of Prof. Moitessier’s group. In her spare time, she enjoys playing badminton, violin and petting all kinds of dogs that you have!
Key Projects: AID inhibitors as leukemia therapeutics, FAP/POP dual inhibitors as novel potential anticancer agents

Jerome Genzling| PhD Student: September 2022 - present
Born and raised in Strasbourg, Jerome moved at the age of 19 to Paris to pursue his BSc. in Chemistry at the ENS Paris-Saclay (2019). In his MSc. in Molecular Chemistry and Interfaces in partnership with the École Polytechnique, he started working remotely in the Moitessier lab and hopes to join Montreal physically in February. Being interested in both organic and computational chemistry, his work is currently to develop new tools for Computer-Aided Drug Design. Subsequently, he start his PhD with the Moitessier lab. When he’s not too busy arguing with his programming console, he likes to play chess, badminton, rugby and going out with friends.
Key Projects: Development of force field methods (H-TEQ) and machine learning methods for drug discovery

Steven Ma| PhD Student: September 2020 - present
Born in Waterloo, Ontario, he earned his BSc in Chemical Biology at McMaster University. During his time at McMaster, he completed his senior thesis in the McNulty group under the supervision of Dr. James McNulty and David Hurem, working on developing proline derivatives. He continued to pursue his MSc in Chemistry at McGill University in 2020 as a member of the Moitessier group. In his free time, he likes to play volleyball, garden, draw, play video games, and play music in his band. Loves strange and interesting reactions like the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction.
Key Projects: Computational analysis and design of asymmetric catalysts and reaction mechanism modeling

David Hiraki| PhD Student: September 2020 - present
David grew up in the Toronto area and obtained his BSc in chemistry from the University of Waterloo. He joined the Moitessier group in 2020 to explore interests in computational and organic chemistry. He is working on computational chemistry related to riboswitches and the entropy of water molecules. In his free time, he enjoys board games, home chemistry experiments, element collecting, and playing the violin. He also has a passion for designing, building, and solving Rubik’s cubes and other twisty puzzles.
Key Projects: Riboswitch computational chemistry - method development

Chris Wang| PhD Student: September 2019 - present
Born in Shanxi, China, Chris moved to Canada to pursue his BSc and MSc. at the University of Manitoba. In September 2019 he joined the Moitessier group to work on overcoming metabolic drug resistance by computer-based rational design, with a focus on diaminopimelate decarboxylase. In his free time, Chris loves plants and animals! He will pet any pets you have, even if it is a danger noodle. And of course, he loves chemistry, especially the home chemistry that leads to a BOOM!
Key Projects: Overcoming Metabolic Drug Resistance by Computer-Based Rational Design

Anne Labarre| PhD Student: September 2018 - present
Anne was born and raised in Montreal. She obtained her BSc. in Pharmacology at McGill, but then switched to Chemistry to pursue a PhD in 2018. She is working on the computer-aided design of inhibitors for DPP8/9, two proteins involved in tumor regression via up-regulation of the immune system. Anne is also very active with the McGill Chemistry Outreach group where she, every other day, likes to blow up a thing or two. In her free time, she enjoys swimming laps, fishing fish and eating delightfully delicious and ethereally exquisite food.
Key Projects: DPP8/DPP9 cancer immunotherapy, POP in Parkinson's disease

Grace Cosby| Undergraduate Student: May 2024 - present
Born and raised in Ottawa, Grace is completing her final year of undergrad at McGill University studying biophysical chemistry with a minor in general management. She is working on her honours project in the Moitessier Lab to gain experience with computational chemistry. In her free time, Grace enjoys skating, puzzling, and deal-hunting at Costco.
Key Projects: HTEQ

Nicholas Weiss| Undergraduate Student: May 2024 - present
Nick was born in raised in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. He is currently an undergraduate student at McGill University studying biophysical chemistry with a minor in computer science. Nick joined the Moitessier group to gain experience with computational chemistry and is working on machine learning for RNA therapeutics. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, biking, videogames, and spending time with friends.     
Key Projects: AI for RNA therapeutics and Multitask GNN for ADME