Graduate Students
Shirley Hernandez | shern230@fiu.edu | 6th year
Shirley was born in Havana, Cuba, and immigrated to the United States, specifically New Jersey, with her immediate family in 2000. She later moved to Florida in 2005 and developed an interest in organic chemistry when she entered high school at Jose Marti MAST 6-12 Academy. Afterward, she attended Florida International University (FIU) to pursue her Bachelor’s degree, where she collaborated with one of Dr. Lima’s postdoctoral researchers to investigate the structural complexity of the ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase (UCH) knot protein using Trapped Ion Mobility Spectroscopy-Mass Spectrometry (TIMS MS). This project aimed to enhance her understanding of the analytical tools and strategies for characterizing biomolecules. After working on this project for a year and graduating in Fall 2019, she returned to FIU to pursue her Ph.D. under Dr. Bukhryakov’s group. Currently, she is developing new transition metal catalysts for use in alkyne metathesis. In her spare time, Shirley enjoys taking short walks, watching movies and TV shows, and reading comics.
Carlos Acosta | cacos046@fiu.edu | 5th year
Carlos was a born and raised native Floridian who began his higher education at Miami Dade College. He eventually found himself at FIU and joined a research group under Dr. Konstantin Bukhryakov. Carlos plans to obtain his Ph.D. in chemistry once he completes his bachelor’s degree and use his knowledge to synthesize new antibiotics to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria. While not studying, Carlos enjoys reading, playing basketball, and long walks on the beach.
Vasilisa Krivovicheva | vkriv001@fiu.edu | 3rd year
Vasya was born in South Bend, Indiana, and grew up in Saint Petersburg, Russia. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Saint Petersburg State University, where she explored medicinal chemistry and synthetic projects in Prof. Krasavin’s lab. In August 2023, she joined Prof. Bukhryakov’s group to work on carbon isotope exchange project. Outside the lab, Vasya loves practicing yoga, reading, and spending time with family and friends.
Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vkrivovicheva/
Samuel Aguero | sague005@fiu.edu | 3rd year
Samuel is a native born and raised in South Florida. Immediately after high school he began and completed his bachelor’s degree at FIU (2023). In his final semester of undergraduate schooling, he wanted exposure to scientific research using organic materials for synthesis and joined the Dr. Konstantin Bukhryakov research group. Eventually choosing to stay to pursue a Ph.D. in Chemistry by investigating organometallic chemistry and olefin metathesis. Samuel enjoys playing competitive games and running in his free time.
Jlynn Antoinette Mateo | jmate035@fiu.edu | 2nd year
Jlynn Antoinette grew up in Southern California, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry at the University of La Verne. During her undergraduate studies, she developed an interest in synthetic chemistry, which inspired her to explore various research topics, such as drug development. She accepted the offer to join the Ph.D. program in Chemistry at Florida International University as an ACS Bridge Fellow, which led her to join Dr. Konstantin Bukhryakov’s research group. In her free time, she enjoys watching TV shows/movies, cooking, and traveling.
Moorthy Ganesan | mgane004@fiu.edu | 2nd year
Moorthy Ganesan was born in Tamil Nadu, India. He completed his Master’s in General Chemistry at Madurai Kamaraj University (2020). He worked on a project of Ni-based MOF catalysis, which further fostered his research interest. After completing his Master’s, Moorthy joined Curia India Pvt Ltd, where he worked on synthesizing biologically active moieties for two years. Then, he moved to Aragen Life Sciences and worked for a few months before joining the PhD program at FIU. In his free time, he watches movies and plays carrom.
Rebecca Khadchiti | rkhad005@fiu.edu | 1st year
Rebecca was born in Beirut, Lebanon, and completed the International Baccalaureate in Tbilisi, Georgia. Fluent in five languages, she began her undergraduate studies in New York in 2022 before transferring to Florida International University, where she conducted research under Dr. Konstantin Bukhryakov. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry in 2025 and is now pursuing a Ph.D. in Chemistry as part of Dr. Bukhryakov’s research group.
Abhirami Manivarnan | avm001@fiu.edu | 1st year
Abhirami was born in Kerala, India. She pursued her passion for chemistry by completing a bachelor’s degree and then a master’s degree in General Chemistry at Mahatma Gandhi University in Kerala. During her master’s program, she conducted a research project focusing on the development of a novel green catalyst—eggshell membrane-supported palladium (Pd) nanoparticles—and its application in organic reactions. After completing her postgraduate studies, Abhirami devoted her time to teaching students through home tutorials. In 2025, she joined Professor Dr. Konstantin Bukhryakov’s research group to pursue her PhD in Chemistry, where she aims to explore further in the field of organometallic chemistry. When she is not in the lab or studying, she enjoys traveling, reading, and practicing dance.
Undergraduate Students
Nicole Lopez | nlope224@fiu.edu
Victor Suarez | vsuar081@fiu.edu
Christian Feliciello | cfeli043@fiu.edu
Camila Villa | cvill191@fiu.edu
Alumni
Graduate Students
Dr. Gabriela Tejeda (2018-2023) − MS&T Specialist II at Teva Pharmaceuticals
Postdocs
Dr. Georgii Griaznov (2024-2025) − Assistant Teaching Professor at Florida International University, USA
Dr. Rajeshkumar Manian (2025)
Dr. Madhu Reddy (2023-2025) − Research Scientist at Sai Life Sciences, India
Dr. Ramakrishna Reddy Keesari (2024-2025) − Postdoctoral Fellow at Baylor College of Medicine, USA
Dr. Dmitry Belov (2019-2022) − Scientist at Sanegene Bio USA, Inc, USA
Dr. Victor Desyatkin (2020-2021) − Postdoctoral Fellow at Case Western Reserve University, USA
Master students
Sergei Chuprin (2019-2021)
Undergraduate students
Kyrylo Bakalenko (2025)
Violette Pena (2025)
Anqi Liu (2024)
Davel Prieto (2024)
Annabella Dellepiane (2024)
Rachel Perez (2024)
Rafia Khadchiti (2024)
Jonathan Chinique (2024)
Celine Gomez (2023)
Luis Lara (2023)
Andy Lamur (2023)
Ashleigh Sherman (2023)
Rene Perez (2023)
Carlos Escobar (2022)
Eber Mendez (2022)
Gabriel Moljo (2021)
Bryson Orosa (2020)
Alejandro Palmero (2019)
Summer Internship Program for high school students
Alexandre Gervaud (2025)
Tianna Palmer (2025)
Aaron Jamal (2024)
Sammy Barjun (2024)
Christian Feliciello (2023)
Faith Rubi (2023)
Jayden Sacasa (2022)
Nicole Mederos (2021)
Ana Pereira (2019)
Aaliyah Fuller (2019)