Members of the Rivard Group

Post-Doctoral Fellows

Luisa Giarrana

Hey! I'm Luisa and I grew up in Saarland, Germany. I completed my BSc at Saarland University in Saarbrücken before moving to Berlin for my MSc studies at Freie Universität Berlin and TU Berlin. After that, I returned to Saarland to pursue a PhD in inorganic chemistry with a focus on silicon clusters. I then decided it was time to expand my research interests to other areas of main-group chemistry while taking the opportunity to live abroad. This brought me across the Atlantic to join the Rivard Group at the UofA. Outside the lab, I enjoy playing soccer, lifting weights, and going for runs. When I'm not doing sports, you'll probably find me spending time with friends and family, exploring new places or searching for the best iced matcha latte in town. On slow days, I enjoy crocheting, reading or watching my favorite shows.

Graduate Students

Mamak Bakhtiari

Hi, I am Mamak. I was born and raised in Tehran which is the capital city of Iran. For my undergrad degree, I studied polymer engineering at the University of Tehran and I graduated with the first rank in my class. Then I decided to move to another country to continue my studies so I travelled about 10,000 km to Edmonton and I am so excited to begin my journey in Canada. Luckily, I got the opportunity to join the Rivard group and explore inorganic/polymer chemistry. In my free time, I love to play sports (especially running), go to the theater, and watch movies.

Ruiqi Li

Hi! My name is Ruiqi, and I'm from Shandong, China. I graduated from the Shandong Normal University and the University of Waterloo in the summer of 2024 with the bachelor's degree. My research focuses on frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs), and I'm especially interested in their applications in main-group chemistry. Outside of the lab, I love listening to K-pop music and enjoy playing guitar and cooking Chinese food in my spare time.

Fei (Phoebe) Huang

Hi! I'm Phoebe from Taipei, Taiwan. I double-majored in Medicinal and Applied Chemistry as well as Fragrance and Cosmetic Science at Kaohsiung Medical University, where I also worked on an undergraduate project involving aluminum-based catalysts for ring-opening polymerization. Now I'm very excited to begin my PhD adventure in the Rivard group. Outside of the lab, I enjoy reading, listening to K-pop, and watching Japanese anime. Since moving to Canada, I've also been learning how to cook and experimenting with new recipes - and I've always wanted to learn skiing, so I'm really looking forward to trying it out here!

Krizel Quiros

My name is Krizel and I was born in the Philippines and raised here in Canada! I did my undergraduate in Mount Royal University where I got my Bachelor's degree in Chemistry. I worked a little on ligand synthesis during my undergrad and I enjoyed it so much I decided to keep pursuing research and joined the Rivard Group. Outside of Chemistry, I enjoy building book nooks, painting, knitting, and hiking with friends and family.

Mauricio Toshio Itoh Tohara

Hello there! My name is Mauricio, and I was born and raised in the grey city of Lima, in Perú. I completed my bachelor degree in chemical engineering at UTEC. I like inorganic and polymer chemistry and I'm excited to work here at the Rivard group! If you don't find me in the lab I might be in the gym, a faraway mountain or trying to cook something weird. I also enjoy giving anime recommendations, playing board games and doing any sort of physical activity.

Undergraduates

Keith Tam

Hi, I'm Keith, a fourth-year student in the Accredited BSc in Chemistry program at the UofA. My initial interests were focused on organic chemistry, and so I completed a one-year internship at Gilead in process development. After being introduced to inorganic chemistry and catalysis, I was fascinated with how these different branches of chemistry connect to organic synthesis. Outside the lab, I enjoy crosswords with friends, video games, and sleeping in class.

Chloe Follett

Hi! My name is Chloe and I grew up near Vancouver, B.C. I am currently a fourth year undergraduate student at Simon Fraser University in the BSc in Chemistry program. I have joined the Rivard Group as a summer student since discovering my interests in chemical synthesis and catalysis. I really enjoy making new things! Outside the lab you may find me playing my piano, or at the softball field!