Chae was born in Seoul, South Korea. She received her B.A. from Dongguk University in 2017 and her M.S. from POSTECH in Korea in 2019, where she studied stereoselective hydroalkoxylation and organic methodology development. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in the Léonard group at UC Santa Barbara, where her research uses electrochemical and spectroscopic methods to investigate the redox behavior and reactivity of transition-metal complexes, with an emphasis on metal–ligand effects and CO₂ activation. Outside the lab, Chae enjoys trying new hobbies, including tennis, poker, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and surfing. 

Robert Till grew up in Royersford, Pennsylvania. While at Bucknell University, Robert studied asymmetric natural product derivatization of bile salts under the mentorship of Professor Michael Krout. After earning a B.Sc. in Biochemistry in 2023, Robert joined Professor Nadia Leonard's research group at UC Santa Barbara, focusing on developing transition metal catalysts for the electrochemical reduction of small molecules. When not working in the lab, Robert likes computer programming, video games, and discovering new wines.

AJ Chavez grew up in Downey, California, went to the USC and received a B.S. in Chemical Biology. During his time, he worked under Travis Williams and worked on the use of formic acid as a liquid organic hydrogen carrier using an Iridium catalyst. After his undergraduate, he decided to get his PhD at UCSB, where he joined Mahdi Abu-Omars group to investigate biomass upcycling. During his first year, he helped discover a class of nickel catalysts and wanted to explore their electrocatalytic properties under co-advisement of Nadia Leonard. In his free time, he enjoys playing tennis, hanging out with his friends and going on adventures!

Jessica grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, home of the 32-story Bass Pro Shop pyramid. She completed her undergraduate education at Christian Brothers University and had great fun during her two REUs at MTSU and USC, where she also learned she actually likes inorganic chemistry. She is now pursuing her Ph.D. in the Léonard group with a focus on rare earth metal separation. In her free time, she likes running, reading, crossword puzzling, hula-hooping, concert going, frisbee flicking, and talking!

Joel graduated from New Jersey Institute of Technology with a B.S. in Chemistry, where he worked on gaseous oxidized mercury detection under the mentorship of Professor Alexei Khalizov. He joined Professor Nadia Léonard’s research group in 2024 to investigate homogeneous carbon dioxide reduction pathways that yield multi-carbon products. In his free time, Joel likes listening to experimental music, painting, and playing video games.

Luke grew up in McLean, Virginia and earned his B.S. in Chemistry with a specialization in Materials Science at the University of Virginia in 2025. At UVA he worked in the Machan group focusing on the electrochemical catalysis of small molecules using inorganic compounds. He is now pursuing his Ph.D. in the Léonard group with a focus on multinuclear nickel compounds for the electrochemical catalysis of carbon dioxide. In his free time, he likes to ride all kind of bikes, explore the mountains outside of Santa Barbara, and play pool with his friends.

Xavi grew up in Dorado, Puerto Rico, and earned his B.S. in Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley. During his time at Berkeley, he worked with Professors Andrew Minor and Jeffrey Long on metal localization in two-dimensional crystal systems, and with Professor Kent G. Lightfoot on geoarchaeological soil analysis. Xavi is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in the Léonard Lab at UC Santa Barbara, where his research focuses on rare earth element separation. Outside of the lab, he enjoys playing spikeball, watching sports, hanging out with friends, and building LEGO sets.