The Boss

Marco Bonizzoni, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Distinguished Teaching Fellow
Director of Graduate Recruiting and Admissions
more information...

Postdoctoral Researchers

Only externally funded postdoctoral applications can be considered at this time. Please send Dr. Bonizzoni your cover letter, CV, and publication list. I would also be glad to work with applicants in support of their funding applications to external agencies.

Graduate Students

Michael H. Ihde
B.S., City University of New York - Queens (2011)
Michael joined the group in the Fall 2015 to work on fluorescence studies of the solubilization behavior of dendritic PAMAM polyelectrolytes towards polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Since his start in the group, his research interests have also turned towards the development of new array-based sensing methods for metal ions in water solution, using commercially available receptors and multivariate analysis.
Michael has been the recipient of the Outstanding Second Year Graduate Student Award from our Department, of a GAANN (Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need) fellowship funded by the Department of Education, which supported his research in the 2017-18 academic year, and of our departmental 2020 Outstanding Graduate Student award. He was also recognized at the 2017 Lester Andrews Graduate Research Symposium with an award for his oral research presentation. Together with Xiaoli and Yifei, Michael has organized a symposium at the 2018 Fall National ACS meeting on Supramolecular Analytical Chemistry.​
Yifei Xu
B.S., Michigan State University (2016)
Yifei joined the group in the Spring 2016 to work on the development of array-based sensing methods for anions in water solution, with a particular focus on biologically relevant carboxylates and anionic antibiotics. Since then, Yifei has been able to present results from her research at the Southeastern Regional Meeting of the ACS in Fall 2017, i.e. very early in her graduate career at UA. Together with Michael and Xiaoli, Yifei organized a symposium at the 2018 Fall National ACS meeting on Supramolecular Analytical Chemistry, and another at the 2019 Spring National meeting in San Diego.
Xiyuan Yao
B.S., Nankai University (2017)
Xiyuan started in the group in Spring 2018 on a project studying the thermodynamics of complexation of fatty acids and similar hydrophobic materials in carbohydrates (particularly starches) and other carbohydrate-based supramolecular receptors. Her work, in collaboration with Dr. Lingyan Kong in the Department of Human Nutrition at UA, will focus first on the determination of thermodynamic parameters for these interactions through isothermal titration calorimetry. We also plan to use these receptors to construct fingerprinting arrays for analytes of interest in nutrition science.
Flor Lozada Santiago
B.S., Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico (2018)
Flor was an REU student in our group in summer 2017. She then went back to PR to finish her degree, and graduated this May 2018 summa cum laude. She was also selected to receive the John Will Harris Medal, her alma mater's highest academic recognition. Flor started her graduate studies at UA in summer 2018. She is working in our group on the development of redox-based fingerprinting chemical sensors.
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Yichun (Lucia) Yuan
B.Eng., Beijing University of Chemical Technology (2018)
M.S., Case Western Reserve University (2019) 
While Yichun was a graduate student researcher at Case Western Reserve University, her study focused on the synthesis of a novel dipolar glass polymer SO2-PIM, a polymer with intrinsic microporosity that can be applied in flexible electronics.
Yichun joined our group in Fall 2020 to focus on the study of covalent modification of PAMAM dendrimers. In her personal life she enjoys family, exercise, and cooking.
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We are always looking for motivated graduate students to join our group! Please contact Dr. Bonizzoni for further information.

Undergraduate Students

Miguel Díaz
Expected Graduation: BS in Chemical Engineering, Spring 2021
Miguel started out as a summer research intern in our group in Summer 2019, working on the determination of the affinity between a series of analytically-relevant transition metal ions and conjugated fluorene-based polymers that have been decorated with metal binding units.
Miguel has since transferred to UA's Chemical Engineering program from his previous institution starting in Fall 2019 and has continued his work in our group on determination of affinity constants for the binding of metal ions to conjugated polymer materials, in support of our efforts to develop these interesting materials into supramolecular analytical sensors.
Are you interested in a research experience in our lab? We are always looking for motivated undergraduates to join our group. Please contact Dr. Bonizzoni for further information.

Former Group Members

  • Dr. Xiaoli Liang (grad. student, Fall 2014 - Summer 2019); currently a postdoc at the University of Western Ontario
  • Gabrielle Covey (undergrad. researcher, Fall 2017 - Spring 2019); currently employed at Huntsman Chemical
  • Dr. Nicholas J. White (grad. student, Spring 2014 - Fall 2018); currently employed at WuXi AppTec
  • Rezoanul Islam (grad. student, Fall 2017 - Spring 2018); currently in the PhD program at Auburn University
  • Addison Iszler (undergrad. researcher, Spring 2017 - Spring 2018; recipient of UA's Randall Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award)
  • Madyson Brown (undergrad. researcher, Fall 2016 - Spring 2018)
  • Flor Lozada Santiago (visiting undergraduate researcher from Puerto Rico, REU program); re-joined us in fall 2018 as a graduate student!
  • Dr. Michele Invernici (visiting grad. student, Jun. - Dec. 2016); returned to home institution (Università di Pavia, Italy); since graduated
  • Cara F. Pridmore (undergrad. researcher, Summer 2016 - Spring 2017)
  • Jake Brockwell (undergrad. researcher, Spring 2015 - Fall 2016); currently employed at Ascend Performance Materials as fuel engineer
  • Dr. Alie Marie Mallet Busenlehner (grad. student, Dec. 2010 - Dec. 2015); currently employed at VWR
  • Dr. Ashley Jolly Steelman (grad. student, Dec. 2010 - July 2015); currently Lecturer at the University of Kentucky
  • Kyle Glisson (undergrad. researcher, Summer 2014 - Fall 2015; recipient of UA's Randall Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award)
  • Tu Minh Vo (undergrad. researcher, Spring 2015 - Fall 2015)
  • Katheryn Adam (undergrad. researcher, Fall 2013 - Spring 2015)
  • Madison Beck (undergrad. researcher, Fall 2014 - Spring 2015); currently Associate Scientist at Procter & Gamble (P&G)
  • Dr. Yuanli Liu (postdoc, Jan. 2013 - Oct. 2014); now Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Guilin University of Technology (China)
  • James (J.T.) Vegrzyn (undergrad. researcher, Fall 2014)
  • Allison Montgomery (undergrad. researcher, Fall 2013 - Spring 2014); went on to medical school at UAB
  • Catherine Cofer (undergrad. researcher, Fall 2013 - Spring 2014); currently working as Senior Project Lead, Packaging at Chick-fil-A
  • C. Grace Nichols (undergrad. researcher, Summer 2012 - Spring 2013); working as a Registered Nurse in cardiac ICU
  • David Zagardo (undergrad. researcher, Summer 2012)
  • Keegan McNally (undergrad. researcher, Fall 2011 - Spring 2012); went on to UCF College of Medicine
  • Madeleine Angles (undergrad. researcher, Fall 2010 - Spring 2011); MBA from UAH (2014); working as Training Chemist at PAE