The Boss!!

Dr. Jonathan Veinot

I am originally from southern Ontario and grew up in St. Catharines. My first recollection of any interest in science was playing with magnets and iron filings. I quickly graduated to a magnifying glass, the sun and ANYTHING I COULD BURN! My intrigue with science grew from there, it even encompassed the television shows and characters I enjoyed and a child. Upon entering high school at Laura Secord Secondary School I had two primary interests - performance music (vocal and instrumental) and science. My musical endeavors instilled a work ethic necessary to succeed in anything I chose and my science classes simply fascinated me. I credit my grade 13 chemistry teacher, Ted Veenstra, and exploration based teaching methods with giving me a love for Chemistry.

After graduating from LSSS I went on to the University of Western Ontario where I chose to study chemistry (a musician's life was clearly too unpredictable for me). I still remember my first year chemistry class with Prof. T.K. Sham, a brilliant scientist with whom I have now had the pleasure to collaborate with as part of my own research program. I trundled through the chemistry program and performed undergraduate research with Prof. Martin Stillman who welcomed me into his bioinorganic chemistry lab where he reinforced the work ethic I first observed during my study of music. This was my first exposure to true research and I must have had some talent for it because I received a research award from the department of chemistry. The fire was lit! It was time for graduate studies and the start of a research career.

I went on to graduate studies at York University in North York (now Toronto). I chose to work for two fantastic mentors, Professors Bill Pietro and Barry Lever. We didn't have a lot of funding but we made the most of what we had and the creativity we needed to succeed has served me well. My research focus changed numerous times, it started with the synthesis and electrochemistry of zinc phthalocyanine, moved on to electroluminescent Ru containing polymers and finally settled in with the synthesis and functionalization of CdS quantum dots.

After graduate studies I was not convinced I wanted to push through a post doc because I thought I wanted to start living. I decided to teach at Seneca College for a year and explore the possibility of a teaching career. My time at Seneca was truly rewarding but it was clear to me that research was where my heart was. I applied for and was awarded an NSERC PDF to perform research at Northwestern University (Evanston, Il, USA) with Prof. Tobin Marks. This was a formative time in my career. I fully embraced the opportunity to work with star industrial and academic researchers from around the world and had a lot of fun doing it. My project had two primary goals, to make organic light-emitting diode (OLED) nanopixels and to tailor electrode surface chemistry to improve OLED device efficiency and stability. After just two years of hard work we succeeded on both fronts!!!

In July 2002, I joined the Department of Chemistry at the University of Alberta as an Assistant Professor and promoted to Associate Professor in 2008 with tenure. My exceptional team of undergraduates and graduate students is funded by a variety of industry and non-government sources as well as more traditional sources (e.g., NSERC) and our efforts have been rewarded with an NSERC accelerator supplement as well as the University of Alberta Faculty of Science Research Award. I am looking forward to seeing where our various studies go and realizing significant successes. For those of you looking to join a dynamic research team, I hope to meet you soon and welcome you as a member of our research family.

Beyond my interest in chemistry, I enjoy spending time with my three little girls and two Labrador retrievers as well as playing golf and out on my ski boat.

Riley Hooper

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I’m Riley and I am a joint PhD student in the Michaelis and Veinot research groups. I came to the University of Alberta as a graduate student in 2019 after obtaining an Honors BMSc in Chemical Biology at the University of Western Ontario. I am originally from Wallaceburg, a small town in southern Ontario and was part of the Veinot and Michaelis groups in 2017 as an undergraduate student. I previously worked on applying solid-state NMR spectroscopy to Silicon Nanoparticles to understand the structure of these particles in more detail. Now, I will be continuing to apply these techniques to a variety of different nanoparticles made here. In my spare time, I enjoy playing hockey, rock climbing, and exploring the outdoors. My favourite modes of transportation are Lime scooters and Honda Odysseys.

Chuyi (Martin) Ni

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Hi! I am Chuyi (Martin) Ni. I was born in Changsha, Hunan, China and I finished my BSc. Degree at Sun Yat-sen University. I joined the Veinot group in 2019 and my previous research revolved around nanomaterials especially perovskite. Now I want to explore more in the area of nanomaterials and solid-state NMR. Besides chemistry, I like playing sports and games with my friends.

Jonathan Trach

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My name is Jonathan Trach, and I joined the Veinot group in 2020. I was born in Calgary but moved to Edmonton to do my BSc with Specialization in Chemistry at the University of Alberta. As a graduate student, I am looking into functionalizing and cross-linking Si/Ge nanosheets and studying their properties. When I'm not doing chemistry, I enjoy playing board games with friends or reading a good book.

Cemre Mertoglu

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I am Cemre Mertoglu, and I am from Turkey. I completed my undergraduate and master’s degree in chemistry at the Middle East Technical University in Turkey. I wanted to start my PhD studies at the University of Alberta because it is a high-ranking research university, and I joined the Veinot group as a PhD student in Fall 2021. As a graduate student, I am interested in the synthesis of silicon nanocrystals, and their applications as sensors. In my spare time, I enjoy swimming,travelling, watching movies, and spending time with my friends.

Cole Butler

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I was born in Kelowna, B.C. and raised in Sherwood Park, Alberta. I completed my undergraduate studies at the University of Alberta due to it’s prestige and convenient location to my family. I chose to stay here for my graduate studies because of my familiarity with the location as well as the cutting-edge research that is performed here. Working in the Veinot group I will be focusing on altering silsesquioxanes for different applications such as 3D printing, aerogels and more! In the Winter I enjoy watching hockey and once it warms up I try to take advantage of the nice weather.

Madison Chevalier

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Hi folks! My name is Madison Chevalier and I am in my first year of my Masters of Science in Chemistry here at the University of Alberta. I joined the Veinot Group as an undergraduate student in the Fall of 2021 and worked with Chuyi (Martin) on his project with Ge nanosheets. I have previously done research during the summer of 2021 as a USRA NSERC recipient working under the EAS department and the following summer with an analytical lab here at UAlberta. In my spare time I love playing videogames, rewatching Lord of the Rings or cuddling with my adorable kitten Pickle!

Brayden Glockzin

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I completed my BSc at the University of Alberta in 2022 and decided to stick around for a Master’s with the Veinot and Michaelis groups. In my free time, I enjoy grinding it out on the 3rd line for the department of chemistry hockey team (tier 4; intramural league) and going for bike rides. Also, big shout out to Kevin O’Connor for choosing my photo in case I ever want a career as a movie villain!

Abbie Rubletz

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Hey y’all, my name is Abbie! I am originally from small town Saskatchewan (population of my hometown: 159 people) but I have lived in Edmonton since 2017. Prior to starting graduate school, I completed my undergraduate degree, a B.Sc. (Hons) in chemistry, here at the UofA. I have been involved with the Veinot group in various capacities since Sept. 2021: first as an undergraduate (401/403 student), then as a volunteer, before eventually committing to a M.Sc. in 2023. In that time, my work has focused on synthesizing “large” (d > 100 nm) silicon nanocrystals from hydrogen silsesquioxane and investigating the mechanism of their formation. On the rare occasion I am not in the lab, you can usually find me playing The Sims and chugging Monster energy drinks in the office.

Mia Dolanjski

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Hi, I’m Mia! I am a first year joint PhD student in the Stryker and Veinot groups. I am from Edmonton, AB and did my BSc in Chemistry at Faculté Saint-Jean, the University of Alberta’s Francophone Campus. I did my undergraduate research with the Stryker Group synthesizing carbon quantum dots from lignocellulose. I am excited to join the Veinot group and learn more about nanomaterials and their respective applications. When I’m not in the lab, I love to be outside hiking, skiing, playing soccer, and biking!

Suni Guo

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Hey, I am Suni. I grew up in Guangzhou, China. After completing my BSc in chemistry at the University of Alberta, I joined the Veinot group as a graduate student in 2023. In my spare time, I like listening to music, reading, and eating Asian food (I like Cantonese food the best!).

Christina Zafeiridou

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Hey I'm Christina. I joined the group in September 2023. I'm from Greece, from a city called Thessaloniki (not an island), where I also completed my B. Sc. in chemistry. I've been following the group around, finding out about everyone's research, so I can slowly start on my own stuff. I'm really into movies (old + new), so that's where you'll usually find me. (or maybe in the record store trying to build up my collection).

Master Jedi Yoda

Email: Use The Force

Yoda, at over 900 years old, is easily the oldest member of the Veinot Group. Though he was "home educated," he is a relative newcomer to chemistry, joining the group on October 25th, 2004. His laboratory skills are limited, sadly, due to his stature and ability to only answer questions of a "yes" or "no" nature. What he does bring to the lab is infinite wisdom, a calm demeanor and one hell of a laser-pointer.