Members – The Arora Group

	Paramjit Arora *Principal Investigator* Postdoctoral Fellow, California Institute of Technology Ph.D. Chemistry, University of California at Irvine B.S. Chemistry, University of California at Berkeley Email: arora@nyu.edu The PI was born in New Delhi and raised in the friendly confines of the San Fernando Valley. When not in the lab, he fights battles of good versus evil with Adais.
	Christopher Lamartina *Post-Doctoral Fellow* Ph.D. Chemistry, Columbia University B.S. Chemistry, California Institute of Technology Email: cwl9948@nyu.edu Christopher was born in Forest Hills, Queens and raised by an Argentinian immigrant family. He completed his PhD at Columbia University with Tomislav Rovis, where he applied various Rh(III)-catalyzed methodologies to the synthesis of unnatural peptides. In the Arora Lab, he is currently interested in using his skillset in organic chemistry to develop new forms of peptide-tethering techniques. In his free time, he enjoys collecting eclectic vinyl records/CDs and attending as many concerts in NYC as he can.
	Oliver Swart NIH Post-Doctoral Fellow Ph.D. Chemistry, University of Rocheste B.S. Chemistry, Western Washington University Email: os2257@nyu.edu Oliver was born in Bozeman, Montana to a Dutch immigrant family. He is the fourth of six children. As a graduate student at the University of Rochester he worked on the development of small-molecules targeting oncogenic RNA. In his free time, he enjoys playing board games, soccer, and hiking in the mountains.
	Cyrus Alan Lee Graduate Student B.S. Chemical Biology, Wayne State University Email: cca9593@nyu.edu Cyrus was born in Detroit, Michigan and majored in Chemical Biology at Wayne State University. His undergraduate research was focused on using phenanthroline as a catalyst for glycosylation reactions. In his free time he enjoys finding new places to eat and playing guitar.
	Stefan Belić *Graduate Student* B.A. Chemistry, Rutgers University Email: belic@nyu.edu Uncommonly known as the Pelé of peptides, the Messi of modern medicine, Stefan brings a rich background of structural biology and biophysics to aid him in developing modulators of protein-protein interactions. His other passions include tennis, jazz, and Cristiano Ronaldo.
	Johnson A. Joseph *Graduate Student* M. Sc. Chemistry, University of Denver M. Tech. Industrial Chemistry, Federal University of Technology, Nigeria Email: jaj9360@nyu.edu Johnson is originally from Nigeria. In 2019, he moved to the U.S. in search of new frontiers of science. He studied at the University of Denver where he ran a ton of bioassays for inhibitors of aberrant protein-protein interactions (aPPIs) implicated in cancer, Parkinson’s Disease, and Alzheimer’s Disease using cellular models at the Kumar Lab. In 2022, Johnson began a Ph.D. program in Chemistry at NYU. Here, in the Arora Lab, he makes oxopiperazine helix mimetics to disrupt aPPIs and prevent disease progression. In his free time, he likes to play soccer, explore new places, and try new foods with his fiancée, Kaylee, and his kid, Bethany.
	Shahrukh Khan Graduate Student B.S. Chemistry, City College of New York Email: shahrukh@nyu.edu Shahrukh is a NYC native, born and raised in the greatest borough of Queens. He completed his B.S. in Chemistry at the City College of New York. He did his undergraduate research on the palladium-catalyzed Stille coupling of oxygen heterocycles in the lab of Prof. Mark Biscoe. He’s an avid sports fan and his favorite teams are the Nets, Mets, and Jets. Outside of lab, Shahrukh enjoys going to live sports, the beach, cooking, and trying new restaurants.
	Alex Nazzaro *Graduate Student* B.S. Biochemistry, Rutgers University Email: arn313@nyu.edu Alex is a graduate student studying the structural analysis of beta sheet scaffolds and their utilization for sheet-mediated PPIs. When not in the lab, Alex likes to support the New York Giants and talk about how New Jersey is a top tier state.
	Thu Nguyen *Graduate Student* B.S. Chemistry, UC Irvine Email: ttn298@nyu.edu Thu was born and raised in Vietnam. She went to UC Irvine where she researched in directed evolution of a protease under Prof. Greg Weiss. After her time spent in California, she decided to move to New York University to learn about PPIs and experienced real winter snow. When not in lab, she enjoys watching The Office and looking for the best acai bowl place in New York.
	Joseph Ongkingco *Graduate Student* B.A. Chemistry, SUNY Geneseo Email: jo2135@nyu.edu Joey was born and raised in Watertown, NY where he enjoyed all 4 seasons and especially cold winters a stone’s throw from Canada. In the summers, Joey often visited his family in the exact opposite environment of the Philippines. Before starting at NYU, Joey attended SUNY Geneseo for his undergraduate studies, receiving a B.A. in Chemistry and a Minor in Mathematics. At SUNY Geneseo, Joey was a Multicultural Fellow and member of the Varsity Swimming and Diving team with an unfair bionic advantage. When not in the lab, you’re most likely to find him visiting art museums, eating good food and sweets, or enjoying a coffee at a park.
	Nihar Ranjan Panigrahi *Graduate Student* M.S. Organic Chemistry, Pune University Email: nrp365@nyu.edu Nihar was born and raised in India. He went to Pune University for his M.S. with organic chemistry as specialization. For the love of his life i.e. chemistry, he joined Department of Chemistry, NYU. When not in lab, he likes to watch soccer (a big Cristiano Ronaldo fan!).
	Rupali Singh *Graduate Student* M.S. Organic Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali Email: rs8084@nyu.edu Rupali comes from the city of the iconic Taj Mahal, Agra, India. She earned her integrated BS-MS degree at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali, working in the realm of Photoredox Catalysis under the guidance of Dr. Ramasamy Vijaya Anand. In 2023, she started her new academic journey at NYU, joining the Arora lab to learn about protein-biochemistry. Beyond the lab, Rupali finds joy in exploring the vibrant city, immersing herself in art, and sports.
	Amy Yang *Graduate Student* B.A. Chemistry with a Conc. in Bioinformatics, Hunter College Email: ay23@nyu.edu Amy is a native New Yorker and was raised in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, where she gets to try a lot of different cuisines. She went on to study Chemistry at Hunter College in the Upper East Side. Outside of lab, she enjoys exploring new places in the city, watching web series, and swimming.
	Zhi Yuan *Graduate Student* B.S. Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison Email: zy2347@nyu.edu Zhi was born in China and later drifted to the United States for his undergraduate study. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry at University of Wisconsin-Madison and an allergy to dairy products by eating too much cheese. Then he worked for two years at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as a researcher before joining NYU for PhD study. When not in lab, he enjoys practicing karate (not yet black belt) and exploring all kinds of good cuisines. In the Arora lab, he is involved in development of RNA-targeting peptidomimetics.
	Jili Lara Undergraduate Student Email: jrl9846@nyu.edu Jili is a biochemistry undergrad, a southern California native and NYC transplant. She is learning to target protein-protein interactions in the lab. For fun (besides labwork of course) she enjoys cooking, lifting and painting.
	Chloe Sung Undergraduate Student Email: cs6627@nyu.edu Chloe was born in South Korea and moved to USA during high school to study abroad in Pennsylvania. She started her undergraduate degree at NYU in 2021 and has been living in NYC for three years. She is majoring in biochemistry and joined the Arora lab in order to learn protein-protein interaction and RNA targeting. Outside the lab, she enjoys trying new coffee and exploring new music.