Principal Investigator
Michelle Chen
Education
Ph.D. in Chemistry, Northwestern University (2020)
B.A. in Chemistry and Economics, Dartmouth College (2015)
Professional Appointments
Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Wesleyan University (2024-Present)
Postdoctoral Associate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2020-2024)
Email: mchen02@wesleyan.edu
Michelle grew up on Long Island, NY. She received her B.A. in Chemistry and Economics from Dartmouth College where she modeled ionic liquid and polymer miscibility in Jane Lipson’s group. After Dartmouth, she moved on to Northwestern University where she earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry under the supervision of Michael Wasielewski. At Northwestern, she investigated the nature of the singlet fission multiexciton state in rylenediimide covalent dimers and thin films using time-resolved spectroscopic techniques. After receiving her Ph.D., Michelle joined Timothy Swager’s group at MIT as a postdoctoral associate where she designed, synthesized, and characterized small molecule and polymer surfactants and utilized these materials to create analytical assays for biosensing. She joined Wesleyan University in the summer of 2024.
Current Lab Members
Alan Arana ’27
Hometown: San Diego, California
Hobbies: Reading, Hiking, Watching Movies, and Try Ice Cream from Different Places
Favorite Wavelength/Color: 450 nm/Dark Blue
Marlowe Ashton ’27
Hometown: Newton, Massachusetts
Hobbies: Rugby
Favorite Wavelength/Color: Green
Alanna Dwyer ’26
Hometown: Wallingford, Connecticut
Hobbies: Reading, Writing, Photography, and Going on Walks
Favorite Wavelength/Color: 495 nm
Paul Sliker ’28
Hometown: Hastings-on-Hudson, New York
Hobbies: Running, Baking, and Ultimate Frisbee
Favorite Wavelength/Color: 525 nm