.jpg)
Hu Group Undergraduates
Hu Group Undergraduates
Hu Group Undergraduates
24Aug Fillmore Glen State Park BBQ
24Aug Fillmore Glen State Park Hiking
Principal Investigator
Xiaoran Hu, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Postdoc, Cornell & Caltech
Ph.D., Tufts University
B.S., Nanjing University
xhu156 [at] syr.edu | (315)443-9489
Affiliation: BioInspired Institute | Upstate Cancer Center
Biography: Xiaoran joined the faculty at Syracuse University in 2022. Xiaoran grew up in Henan province in China and received a B.S. in chemistry from Nanjing University in 2010. During his doctoral studies with Prof. Samuel Thomas at Tufts (2012-2017), Xiaoran developed strategies to photo-control polymer self-assembly. Xiaoran then conducted his postdoc research in polymer mechanochemistry in the Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Caltech (2017-2021), mentored by Prof. Maxwell Robb. After that, Xiaoran furthered his postdoctoral training in biomaterials and drug delivery with Profs. Shaoyi Jiang in the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering and Geoffrey Coates in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Cornell University (2021-2022).
Honors and Awards
2024 Petroleum Research Fund Doctoral New Investigator Award, American Chemical Society.
2024 ACS Applied Bio Materials Early Career Forum, American Chemical Society.
2024 Thieme Chemistry Journals Award, Thieme Publishing Group.
2018 Finalist, ACS Eastman Chemical Student Award in Applied Polymer Science, American Chemical Society.
2016 Graduate Student Research Competition Award, Tufts University.
2016 Graduate Research Excellence at Tufts Fellowship, Tufts University.
2016 Graduate Student Travel Award, Tufts University.
Postdoctoral Scholars
Xuancheng Fu, Ph.D. ✉
Ph.D., Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)
B.S., Jilin University, China
Xuancheng was raised in Jilin, China. He received his Ph.D. degree from ICCAS under the guidance of Professor Shu Wang, developing light-responsive biomaterials. Before joining Syracuse, Xuancheng was a lecturer at Beijing Sports University, where he conducted research on Point-of-Care Testing methods for doping detection. Xuancheng is interested in developing advanced drug delivery systems. (NetID: xfu122)
Ramarani Sethy, Ph.D. ✉
Ph.D., Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Japan
B.S., Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Thiruvananthapuram
Ramarani, originally from Odisha, India, completed her PhD at NAIST, Japan, under Prof. Tsuyoshi Kawai, specializing in stimuli-responsive chiral conjugated luminescent materials. Following her doctoral studies, she advanced her research in mechanofluorochromic and magneto-responsive systems during a postdoctoral appointment in France. In April 2024, Ramarani joined Syracuse University as a postdoctoral researcher. Beyond the lab, she enjoys hiking, yoga, traveling, and crafting with wool.
Shakkeeb Thazhathethil ✉
Ph.D., Hokkaido University, Japan
M.S., Aligarh Muslim University, India
B.S., University of Calicut, India
Shakkeeb grew up in Kerala, India. He earned his PhD at Hokkaido University, Japan, under the guidance of Prof. Nobuyuki Tamaoki and Dr. Yoshimitsu Sagara (Tokyo Institute of Technology). In Dr. Sagara's group, his research focused on developing cyclophane-based supramolecular mechanophores using charge-transfer complexes. After completing his PhD in 2022, Shakkeeb continued his research as a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Sagara's group at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, where he explored further applications of cyclophane mechanophores. He then moved to the National Institute for Materials Science, Japan, where he worked on developing bottle brush polymers and chitosan nanofibers. In September 2024, Shakkeeb joined the Hu group at Syracuse University as a postdoc. Outside the lab, he enjoys playing football.
Graduate & Undergraduate Students
Cijun Zhang ✉ University Graduate Fellow
Doctoral Student, 2021-present
B.S., Nankai University, China
Cijun grew up in Hebei, China. Cijun conducted undergraduate research in the total synthesis of Seco-dendrobine alkaloids with Prof. Guangxin Liang. After graduation, he worked as a research assistant in Dr. Ran Hong's lab at Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry (SIOC) CAS to study the total synthesis of erythrina and gelsedine alkaloids. Cijun started his graduate study at SU under the supervision of Prof. Ivan Korendovych in 2021 and conducted research in the directed evolution of enzymes and catalytical peptides. He transferred to the Hu Lab in May 2023 to study organic materials chemistry. Cijun is also known as a certified chess master in China with the title of Chinese Chess Association Master earned in 2010, and he is pursuing FIDE International Master in chess tournaments. His other interests are poetry, fencing, and board games. Cijun interested in physical organic and materials chemistry (NetID: czhang54)
Bowen Xu ✉
Doctoral Student, 2022-present
M.S., University of Southern California
B.E., Hefei University of Technology, China
Bowen was raised in Xi'an, China. He studied materials science and machine learning and received a master's degree from USC before moving to Syracuse. Bowen is interested in developing biomaterials for drug delivery applications. Outside of the lab, Bowen is an energetic person who likes basketball, skiing, and travel. (NetID: bxu102)
Hirusha Liyanage ✉
Doctoral Student, 2024-present
B.S. (Honors) in Chemistry, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka (2023)
Hirusha was born and raised in Colombo, Sri Lanka. He completed his primary and secondary education at Ananda College in Colombo. In 2023, he earned a Bachelor of Science Honors Degree in Chemistry from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura in Nugegoda, Sri Lanka. During his undergraduate studies, he worked on developing extended-release insect-repellent bio-composites by encapsulating plant essential oils into various mineral matrices. In 2024, Hirusha joined the Hu Research Group at Syracuse University to pursue his doctoral studies in polymer mechanochemistry, biomaterials, and drug delivery. He has also earned a 'Visharad' Degree in Violin and Vocal with a First Division Pass and further completed the 'Nipun' Part I Examination in Violin from Bhatkhande Sangit Vidyapith, Lucknow, India, specializing in Hindustani Classical Violin. Besides academic pursuits, Hirusha enjoys cooking, hiking, playing badminton, swimming, and spending time with friends. (NetID: htliyana)
Wihangi Abeywickrama ✉
Doctoral Student, 2024-present
B.S. (Honors) in Chemistry, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka (2023)
B.Sc. (Honors) in Chemical Science, Institute of Chemistry Ceylon, Sri Lanka (2022)
Wihangi grew up in Sri Lanka, where she pursued two undergraduate degrees simultaneously. She earned B.Sc. (Hons.) in Chemical Science from the Institute of Chemistry Ceylon under the supervision of Prof. Thilini Gunasekera, and B.Sc. (Hons.) in Chemistry from the University of Colombo under the supervision of Prof. Ireshika de Silva. Her first research project focused on investigating the presence of microplastics in commercial sea salt brands and raw salt from salterns. In her second project she synthesized a potential nanohybrid by intercalating plant extracts into Layered Double Hydroxide nanomaterial, exploring its bioactivities and evaluating its potential as a drug carrier for targeted drug delivery systems. Beyond academics, Wihangi enjoys singing, dancing, and engaging in adventurous activities. (NetID: wabeywic)
Michelle grew up in Vermont. She obtained a Bachelor of Science in Psychology at Syracuse University. During her undergraduate career, she researched polymer and supramolecular chemistry in the Hu lab. Michelle hopes to focus her research on drug delivery. In her free time, she likes to spend time with her dog, bake, and travel. (NetID: mwu109)
Taqiyah Akhtar ✉
Doctoral Student, 2024-present
M.Pharm in Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh (2018)
B.Pharm (Hons.) Professional, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh (2016)
Taqiyah was raised in Bangladesh. She completed her Bachelor pf Professional Pharmacy degree from the Department of Pharmacy at the University of Dhaka and Master of Pharmacy from the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the same university. Her undergraduate research was on bacterial proteases as thrombolytics, and graduate research was on isolating potential fibrinolytic proteases from soil bacteria. Her research supervisor was Professor Dr. Md Abdul Mazid. In professional life, she served as a Lecturer in Pharmacy for more than 6 years at World University of Bangladesh and Daffodil International University respectively. Along with other family members, she has a little angel at home. Taqiyah loves spending time with her family, traveling and watching movies. (NetID: takhtar)
Anik Dey ✉
Doctoral Student, 2024-present
M.Sc. (Thesis) in Chemistry, Shahjalal University and Science and Technology, Bangladesh (2024)
B.Sc. (Hons.) in Chemistry, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Bangladesh (2023)
Anik Dey was raised in Bangladesh. He completed his Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in Chemistry from the Department of Chemistry at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology and his Master of Science (Thesis) in Chemistry from the same department. His undergraduate research focused on the removal of iron from aqueous solutions using biodegradable adsorbents, and his graduate research explored the enhancement of the sorption capacity of biodegradable adsorbents for the removal of toxic trace metals. His research supervisor was Professor Dr. Ahmed Jalal Farid Us Samed. In 2024, Anik joined the Hu Research Group at Syracuse University to pursue his doctoral studies in polymer mechanochemistry, biomaterials, and drug delivery. He enjoys building meaningful friendships and is always ready to help others. Anik values maintaining a balanced life and cherishes the joy of meaningful connections. (SU NetID: adey05)”
Franklin Boyu Zhu
Bio '25 (Joined 2023)
2024 SOURCE Fellow
SUID: bzhu04
Vijay Narain Tandon
Biochem '26 (Joined 2024)
SUID: vntandon
Luke Westbrook
Biochem '25 (Joined 2023)
SUID: lgwestbr
Tatum DeMarco
Chem '27 (Joined 2024)
SUID: todemarc
Seth Brown
Medchem '26 (Joined 2024)
SUID: sbrown54
Max Lancer
Chem '26 (Joined 2024)
2024 SOURCE Fellow
SUID: mlancer
Zodie Barron
Forensic Sci & Chem '27 (Joined 2024)
SUID: zxbarron
JOIN US We're recruiting graduate students (~1 new Ph.D. students, 25Fall) with interest in one or several of the following areas: synthetic organic materials chemistry, physical organic chemistry, polymers, and biomaterials. See Contact page for more details.
Alumni James Peden Undergraduate Researcher 2023 Diego Silva Undergraduate Researcher 2023 Timothy Garcia Undergraduate Researcher 2024 Liam Sweeney REU Student 2024
We strive to foster an inclusive, supportive group culture where researchers of diverse backgrounds are equally welcomed and respected.