Current Graduate Students

Aaaaaand now, from Butler University in Indianapolis, the number one in the lab, please welcome…Allie Golliher! A fourth-year PhD student, her work focuses on the research and synthesis of various natural products (most days providing insight of her reactions through song; album release date TBD).

Allie’s work ethic is unmatched, take it from the person writing this bio. When she’s not in the lab conquering nature and finding new ways of synthesizing its molecules (CBD and it’s derivatives didn’t stand a chance and Laingolide A won’t either), Allie is a fan of many pursuits, of which probably 60% of them are outdoorsy. She’s never one to turn down a good hike and let’s face it here in NM there’s plenty of them! The other 40% can be broken down into reading, listening to podcasts, and spending time with friends* and family.

*She also loves to make friends, so if you’re ever on the second floor of the building, drop by and say hi!

Antonio “Twan” Tenorio is a 2nd year graduate student in the Maio lab. He started off as the Young Pup in the lab, but has become a highly capable Big Dawg. He is the best in the Southwest at running chromatography columns, and will defend that title ‘til the end. He has become a critical component in the research group, as he has made significant progress on upcoming publications, and is wildly competitive in the lab. He always  insists on perfection and consistency with every reaction, making his yields and pure spectra something to be envious of. While working, Twan likes to yell about sports, and school the rest of us with random Jeopardy facts. In his free time he enjoys hating nature, and taking his Honda Civic for joy rides.  

Current Undergraduate Students

“Hey guys I’m Nina Dimauro! I’m a premed senior in college. I’m super excited to graduate from college and go to medical school. I was born here in Las Cruces and I’ve lived here my whole life I really like organic chemistry, which is why I’m in Maio’s lab! I have been in this lab for over a year and I’ve worked in on many projects but I’m currently working on a new compound containing CBD and alpha-Lipoic Acid. I also work as an organic chemistry SI instructor for CHEM 313. Outside of school, I have many interests! I love camping with my friends and I was a gymnast growing up, and I was really good! I also like the X-Files and aliens, like a lot.” – Nico Mairata

 

 

 

“Hiya there! My name is Nico Mairata, and though I now attend NMSU in Las Cruces, NM, I was born in Peru but grew up in Uruguay. I speak Spanish, English, and Portuguese, and as I love learning new languages (I am actually kind of obsessed), I am currently learning Japanese. One of my favorite activities so far has been working at a center that received asylum seekers in Las Cruces, where I was able to converse with many people from different backgrounds and beliefs in Spanish and Portuguese. Currently, I am a microbiology major and hope to use this degree to attend medical school in my future so that I can continue to serve others. I learned through my undergraduate chemistry courses that I thoroughly enjoy organic chemistry, and my work in this synthetic organic chemistry lab has mainly been on enamids. I was very excited to be accepted into the Fred-Hutch research program in Seattle, WA to conduct research, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I was unable to do so. I look forward to my future endeavors in research and learning the applications of this research to the human body.” – Nina Dimauro

Simon Driver joined the Maio Chemistry lab in December 2019, as part of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Undergraduate Research Program. He became enchanted by the research lab after taking a wrong turn in the chemistry department, and thinking he’d walked into an alchemical laboratory. While he’s working on turning lead into gold as a side hustle to boost the lab’s income, his main project is working towards enamide synthesis, and specifically finding a synthetic pathway for the synthesis of Aspergillamide A & B. His other projects in the lab involve keeping a semblance of peace between the competing graduate students, and keeping the sink as empty of dishes as possible. When not working in the lab, he can be found enjoying the nature around Las Cruces, or reading a good book, or attempting applied chemistry (cooking).

 

 

 

Previous Research Scholars

  • Dr. Uttar Shrestha – University of Michigan
  • Dr. Tara Newar
  • Erika Monroy
  • David Stoltzfus
  • Ariah Leday
  • Sophia Bailey – University of California Santa Barbara
  • Brent Carrillo – University of Colorado Denver
  • Justine DeGruyter – Scripps Research Institute
  • Brandon Cornali
  • Rodolfo Tello-Aburto – New Mexico Tech
  • Emily Johnson – HHMI Scholar, McKnight Prize 2011
  • Reanna Messer – BRAiN Scholar
  • Cheyenne Valdez – RISE Scholar
  • Justin Waters – MARC Scholar
  • Jackson Ocheltree – MARC Scholar