The Team

Dr. Ben Elling

Ben grew up in Rochester, NY. He received his BA in chemistry from Cornell University, where he synthesized polymers for anion exchange membranes in the lab of Geoff Coates. After, he attended Stanford University, where he became the first PhD student of Yan Xia and developed methods for sequence-specific polymerization via the ring-opening metathesis of substituted cyclopropenes. Prior to his appointment at Wesleyan, Ben was a postdoctoral scholar in the lab of Professor Will Dichtel, where he designed new covalent adaptable networks and investigated strategies for mixed plastic compatibilization.

Students

Jessa Zovinka

PhD Student

Jessa grew up in Ebensburg, PA. They received their BA in chemistry from Mary Baldwin University, where they studied the degradation of Bisphenol-F under UV light in the lab of Peter Ruiz-Haas. When not in the lab, Jessa enjoys hiking, raising chickens, and playing roller derby with the Shoreline Roller Derby League. Here in the lab, their work focuses on synthesizing polymers that incorporate carbon dioxide as a comonomer.

Abdul Bashir

PhD Student

Abdul was born and raised in Kaduna State, Nigeria, where he received his BSc degree in industrial chemistry from Kaduna State University and master’s from Federal University of Lafia. Prior to joining Wesleyan, he obtained his master’s at University of Manchester, where he worked on chemical recycling of polyethylene terephthalate. Abdul is passionate about finding solutions to current environmental problems without compromising the future of the next generations. In his free time, Abdul likes to be around friends, connecting with family over calls, and travelling. He joined the Elling Lab in summer of 2024 and is currently working on covalent adaptable networks.

Dale

Dog

Dale is a dog who was adopted in the winter of 2021 by Professor Elling. He love eating, sleeping, and otherwise being a menace.

Claire Larson

Undergraduate (‘26)

Claire grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico before going to Wesleyan University for college. At Wesleyan, she is a double major in chemistry and E&ES. Claire is a facilitator for the Green Fund, an organization designed to finance on campus sustainability projects. Her research interests are environmental chemistry or geochemistry and in the Elling lab she is working on synthesizing monomers for copolymerization with carbon dioxide.. Outside of school, she loves to hike, take spin classes, and travel.

Charlie Nielsen

Undergraduate (‘26)

Dexter Ixcoy Perez

Undergraduate (‘26)

Dexter Ixcoy Perez was born and raised in The Bronx, NY. Originally a prospective MB&B major, he developed a passion for organic chemistry and is now majoring in both fields. In the lab, he is investigating thermally reversible cycloadditions for covalent adaptable networks. Outside of his academics, he is a social captain on Wesleyan’s Throw Culture ultimate frisbee team and loves reading and weightlifting.

Christie Kim

Undergraduate (‘27)

Christie grew up in Bergen County, NJ, where she graduated from Northern Valley Old Tappan. At Wesleyan, she is pursuing a chemistry major. In her free time, Christie enjoys reading, trying out new recipes, and spending time with friends. She joined the Elling Lab in the fall of 2024, where she is working on new ROMP monomers.

Julian Frank

Undergraduate (‘27)

Julian was born in Boston, MA, and grew up in Arlington where he attended school. At Wesleyan, he is a chemistry major and is interested in pursuing a PhD and one day becoming a research professor. Outside of the lab, Julian loves to ski, sail, and play various instruments including the cello and banjo. He joined the Elling Lab in the fall of 2024 and is currently investigating the thermodynamics of ring-opening metathesis polymerization.

Former Members

Oliver Clarke
(BA ‘25)

Currently: PhD Student at Boston University

Charlie Silver
(BA ‘25)

Currently: Fisher Scientific

Maya Milrod
(BA ‘24)

Currently: PhD student at Northwestern University working with Tobin Marks, studying computational chemistry to study catalytic chemical recycling of polymers.

Sophia Morgan
(BA ‘25)

Currently: Osmoses

Alex Stubin
(BA ‘24)

Currently: Medical Assistant at Generation Next Fertility

Kyle Sylvester
(MA ‘23, BA ‘22)

Currently: Co-recruiting coordinator and hitting coordinator at Eastern Connecticut State University

Kayla Alexander
(BA ‘25)

Currently: PhD student at Rutgers University

Angela Rojas Merchan
(BA ‘24)

Currently: PhD student at Northeastern University

Graham Gilchrist
(BA ‘23)

Currently: PhD student at University of Florida in Sumemrlin/Evans groups.

Sunjay Riener
(BA ‘25)

Currently:

Jeremy Kim
(MA ‘24, BA ‘23)

Currently:

Sarah Timbie
(BA ‘23)

Currently.: MPH Student at Rollins School of Public Healt