Training of Highly Qualified Personnel
In August 2022, 1 junior college (cegep), 2 B.Sc., 5 M.Sc., and 7 Ph.D. students, and 2 Post-Doctoral Fellows (PDFs) are engaged in my lab, and perform solution and solid-phase heterocycle, peptide, and mimic synthesis, spectroscopic and computational techniques, and organic, biological, medicinal, and combinatorial chemistry. This outstanding training has enabled graduates to become leaders in academia and industry.
Present Group Members

Kajumee Bora Bhowal
(Ph.D. 2022/03 -)
Project : Anti-parasitic therapy
More about me
Origin: India
Hobbies : Bharatanatyam dance, Crafting, Exploring places and food !
Why Chemistry? It makes me giggle every time by being unpredictable. With time it builds a symbiotic architecture with you - creates itself by recreating your abilities.
Words to whomever is reading this? Compassion is what you will feel and radical thinking is what you will gain here.
Fun fact about me: Do not get convinced without a backup reasoning.

Lylia Dif-Yaiche
(M.Sc. 2022/05 – )
Project : N- to C-Azapeptide synthesis
More about me
Origin: France and Algeria
Hobbies : Dance, cinema, pastry cooking
Why Chemistry? Rather a molecular structure than one thousand worlds
Words to whomever is reading this? Smile and let’s make molecules !

Juan Camilo Fonseca
(College Student, 2022/06 – Present)
Project : Benzimidazole synthesis
Origin: Colombia
Hobbies : playing Volleyball, cooking and bartending
Why Chemistry?
Once when I was a kid, a chemist friend of mine told me that chemistry was just like doing magic, which can change something into a completely different thing. Ever since that day, chemistry hasn’t stopped to amaze and challenge me.
Words to whomever is reading this? Just get started in chemistry already. I’m telling you that you won’t ever know everything there is to know about it.
Fun fact about me: I am lazy but I tend to overwork a lot.

Darince Truong
(Undergraduate student (2021/05 – Present, CGCC Fellow) Project : N-Amino imidazalones
More about me
Origin: I come from immigrant parents who were born in different places and speak a lot of languages, come ask me if you wanna hear a long story.
Hobbies : Gaming, Music, Chilling, Volunteering and of course, Chemistry!
Why Chemistry? I hate bio, but at the same time, it is really fascinating to understand that everything in life is somehow related to chemistry.
Words to whomever is reading this? C'est des choses qui arrivent... (The real people will know 🙂)
Fun fact about me: I'm always open to learn new stuffs

Nassim Maarouf
(Ph.D. 09/20 – , NSERC Fellow)
Project : Cyclic Amino Dicarboxylates
B-3285 MIL Campus
More about me
Origin : Canada
Hobbies : Sleep
Words to whomever is reading this ? N'est jamais finie
Fun fact about me : Bad with sarcasm

Xiaozheng Wei
(Ph.D. 01/19 – )
Project : Urotensin receptor modulators
B-3285 MIL Campus
More about me
Origin : China
Hobby : Chemistry
Why chemistry ? Hobby

More about me
Origin: France
Hobbies : Art, drawing, reading, meditation, hiking
Why Chemistry? The world around us is made up of chemical elements. Chemistry is everywhere. The study and the understanding of this science bring us closer to the beauty of this world
Words to whomever is reading this? Research is tough but it’s worth the effort
Fun fact about me: I look like much younger than I am
Zeynab Imani
(PDF 04/22 – )
Project : Cyclic interleukin-1 receptor ligands
(PDF 04/22 - )

Justin Desjardins-Michaud
(Undergraduate student, 2022/5 –, NSERC Scholar)
Project : Beta-amino caprolactams
Origin: Montréal South shore baby
Hobbies : The gym, playing baseball with my son, some video games.
Why Chemistry? I always liked doing chemical experiment from a young age even tho kids are not suppose to play with fire.
Words to whomever is reading this? Always believe in yourself because nothing is impossible.
Fun fact about me: I would rather like watching esports on tv than watching hockey.

Zoé Villeneuve
(M.Sc. 2022/05 – Present )
Project : Organocatalyzed lactam synthesis

Ayyoub Selka
(PDF 05/21 – )
Project : Imaging mass spectrometry tags for cancer steroidomics
B-3285 MIL Campus
More about me
Origin : Algeria
Hobbies : Soccer, board games, hiking, traveling, and volunteering
Why chemistry ?
I am curious to understand life at the molecular level.
Words to whomever is reading this ? Keep calm and breath, now you are doing chemistry.
Fun fact about me :
Ability to remember and numbers as boiling point and molecular weight.

Charity Yongo-Luwawa
(M.Sc. 09/20 – 09/2020 ; Ph.D. 09/2021 – , FRQNT Fellow)
Project : IL-1R Receptor Modulator
B-3285 MIL Campus
More about me
Origin : Congo
Hobbies : Piano, guitar, anything else around music, cooking, reading, watching tv shows
Why chemistry ? For me there's a similarity between music and chemistry. Either way, you need to understand the pattern, use your creativity to improve your knowlegde and work patiently to achieve your goals and that's what led me to study organic chemistry.
Words to whomever is reading this ? I think you've come to right place to learn more about organic chemistry and we're nice people :)
Fun fact about me : I have a contagious laugh ... you'll see!
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Origin : Canada
Hobbies : Sleep
Why chemistry ? Understanding change
Words to whomever is reading this ? N'est jamais finie
Fun fact about me : Bad with sarcasm
More about me
Origin : Canada
Hobbies : Sleep
Why chemistry ? Understanding change
Words to whomever is reading this ? N'est jamais finie
Fun fact about me : Bad with sarcasm

Fatemeh Baghestani
(M.Sc. 2022/05 – )
Project : Azapeptide lactams
Origin: Iran
Hobbies: Walking, mountaining,
Why chemistry: a wo/rld without chemist and chemistry is a world without Insulin, medicine, plastic and in a word without life.
words to whomever read this: a little progress each day adds up to big results.

More about me
Origin: India
Hobbies : Reading, drawing, travelling, puzzles
Why Chemistry? Because it's fun assembling molecules to play among themselves.
Words to whomever is reading this? Hold your breath! You are about to enter the magical labyrinth of Chemistry!
Fun fact about me: Always curious!!
Chitra Sadanandhan
(Ph.D. - 2022/03 – )
Project : Phosphono-peptides
(PDF 04/22 - )

Omer N'dri Landry
(M.Sc. 2022/09 – Present )
Project : Pyrrolidine synthesis

Ali El-Husseini
(M. Sc. 01/21 –)
Project : Cyclic Peptide Probes and Treatments of Amyloid Diseases
B-3285 MIL Campus
More about me
More about me
Origin : Canada
Hobbies : Movies, reading books, video games, puzzles ...
Why chemistry ? I like building stuff
Words to whomever is reading this ? Ça va bien aller :)
Fun fact about me : I can eat food really fast
More about me
Origin : Canada
Hobbies : Sleep
Why chemistry ? I like to mix things
Words to whomever is reading this ? N'est jamais finie
Fun fact about me : I usually focus too much on the details and like to give a twist to things.
More about me
Origin : Canada
Hobbies : Sleep
Why chemistry ? I like to mix things
Words to whomever is reading this ? N'est jamais finie
Fun fact about me : I usually focus too much on the details and like to give a twist to things.

Yousra Hamdane
(M.Sc. 09/19 – 12/20; Ph.D. 01/21 – )
Project : CD36 Modulators
B-3285 MIL Campus