Members of the Rivard Group

Post-Doctoral Fellows

Samuel "Samwise" Baird

I was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1996 but grew up in Chipman, New Brunswick. I completed my undergraduate degree at Mount Allison University in the duck themed town of Sackville, NB in 2018. I moved out to the frozen city of Edmonton due to my interest in fundamental research in inorganic chemistry. In my spare time you can find me convincing people garlic fingers are an East Coast delicacy and that they are not the same thing as garlic bread, sleeping or trying to convince myself that I don't need to drink on school nights.

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 University of Waterloo in the summer of 2024 with the bachelor's degree. It's a great honor and pleasure to be joining the Rivard Group. 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 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.

Aislinn Cassie-Morfoot

Hi, my name is Aislinn. I grew up in Shilo, Manitoba but I have lived in the Edmonton area since 2016. I am now in my fourth year of the BSc in Chemistry (Accredited) program. Intrigued by Dr. Rivard's advanced inorganic course (CHEM 343), I first joined the Rivard Group as a summer research student in May of 2024. I have now returned as a CHEM 399 student, and am eager to continue my pursuit of new main group heterocycles. Outside of the lab, you may find me glued to my Kobo, exploring new cafes or bookstores with a friend, or spending quality time with my dog.

Oleksandra Dukhnina

Hi! My name is Oleksandra. I was born and raised in Ukraine - a country of striking beauty and strength. I am currently in my third year of the BSc in Chemistry. My academic journey led me to discover a strong interest in inorganic chemistry and I am excited to continue developing my skills in this field. I initially joined Dr. Rivard's group as a volunteer, where I gained hands-on experience and became immersed in the lab environment. I am now continuing in the group as a CHEM 299 student and look forward to expanding my knowledge and growing my experience through active involvement in ongoing projects. Outside of the lab, I enjoy watching movies, reading historical romance novels, and going on long walks with friends - usually accompanied by good conversations and a cup of coffee, which I am happily addicted to.

Danaia Demina

Hi, I'm Danaia! I was born and raised in Yaroslavl, Russia - a beautiful city with over 1000 years of history. In 11th grade, I moved to Canada all by myself and completed high school at Braemar College in Toronto. Now, I'm a second-year Chemistry student at the University of Alberta! I discovered my passion for Chemistry early on and was fortunate to study in a competitive chemistry-focused class in Russia, supported by R-Pharm, the major pharmaceutical company, where I also gained valuable hands-on experience. Today, I'm excited to be part of the Rivard group and begin my journey in research! Outside of academics, I'm a gym girly, love taking pictures with my digital camera, and enjoy going out for matcha with my friends.