Leadership Team
Donald Watson
Principal Investigator and Center Director
Professor, Chemistry & Biochemistry
University of Delaware
dawatson@udel.edu
Profile
Mary Watson
Core Director
Professor, Chemistry & Biochemistry
University of Delaware
mpwatson@udel.edu
Profile
Catherine Grimes
Associate Director for Mentoring
Professor, Chemistry & Biochemistry
University of Delaware
cgrimes@udel.edu
Profile
Xinquao Jia
Associate Director for Research
Professor, Materials Science and Engineering
University of Delaware
xjia@udel.edu
Profile
Administrative and Technical Staff
Jessica Sampson
Lead Scientist
Director, High Throughput Experimentation Facility
Chemistry & Biochemistry
University of Delaware
jrsampso@udel.edu
Laura Alonso
Assistant Director of High Tech Lab
Chemistry & Biochemistry
University of Delaware
lalons@udel.edu
Research Projects
Austin Keeler
Research Project Lead 2025
Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences
University of Delaware
abkeeler@udel.edu
Profile
Ariel Alperstein
Research Project Lead 2025
Assistant Professor, Chemistry & Biochemistry
University of Delaware
amalpers@udel.edu
Profile
Laure Kayser
Research Project Lead 2025
Assistant Professor, Materials Science and Engineering
Chemistry and Biochemistry (joint)
University of Delaware
lkayser@udel.edu
Profile
Marco Messina
Research Project Lead 2025
Assistant Professor, Chemistry
University of Delaware
messinam@udel.edu
Profile
Alexandra Bayles
Research Project Lead 2025
Assistant Professor, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
University of Delaware
avbayles@udel.edu
Profile
Pilot Projects
Emil Hernandez-Pagan
Pilot Project Lead 2026
Assistant Professor, Chemistry & Biochemistry
University of Delaware
emilhp@udel.edu
Profile
Wilfred Chen
Pilot Project Lead 2026
Gore Professor, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
University of Delaware
wilfred@udel.edu
Profile
William Chain
Pilot Project Lead 2026
Associate Professor, Chemistry & Biochemistry
University of Delaware
wchain@udel.edu
Profile
Rachel Davidson
Pilot Project Lead 2026
Assistant Professor, Chemistry & Biochemistry
University of Delaware
rachelda@udel.edu
Profile
Lars Gundlach
Pilot Project Co-Lead 2026
Professor, Chemistry & Biochemistry and Department of Physics & Astronomy
University of Delaware
larsg@udel.edu
Profile
External Advisory Committee
Martin Schnermann
Advisory Committee Chair
Senior Investigator, Chemical Biology Laboratory
Head, Organic Synthesis Section
Center For Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute
Bruce Carter
Professor, Natalie Overall Warren Chair in Biochemistry
Department of Biochemistry
Associate Director, Vanderbilt Brain Institute
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
Melike Lakadamyall
Professor, Department of Physiology
University of Pennsylvania
Pearlman School of Medicine
M.G. Finn
Professor, School of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Professor, School of Biological Sciences
Chief Scientific Officer, Georgia Tech Pediatric Innovation Network
Georgia Tech