The Hill group is committed to creating and maintaining a culture of inclusivity and belonging. We recognize that diversity and equity are essential to improve the STEM culture, enable better science, and effectively support each team member. We are dedicated to supporting scientists from diverse backgrounds (such as ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, age, sexual orientation, and culture) by continually educating ourselves, listening to and believing the stories told by marginalized scientists, and advocating for inclusive policies.
Meet the Team
Megan R. Hill
Megan is a synthetic polymer chemist focused on developing recyclable and degradable high-performance materials. Megan first became interested in polymer science at California Polytechnic State University after joining the notorious Costanzo lab (PJC4Lyfe!) as an undergraduate. She then went on to do her PhD in the Butler Polymer Labs at The University of Florida under the direction of Mr. Polymer himself, Brent Sumerlin. During her PhD, Megan developed stimuli-responsive and degradable polymers for applications in agriculture and sustainability. After her PhD, Megan did a short-term JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Tokyo in the Nozaki Lab synthesizing CO2-based polymers before joining the Johnson Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where she developed Lewis acidic polymers for dynamic networks and Li-ion batteries. Megan joined the Department of Chemistry at CSU in 2022.
SENIOR RESEARCHERS
John Choinopoulos
Research Scientist II
Origin: Athens, Greece
Education: Ph. D. in Chemistry, University of Athens (Spyros Koinis)
Likes: Having a good time
2ND YEAR GRADUATE STUDENTS
Alex Claiborne
Origin: Fort Collins, Colorado
Education: B.S. in Chemistry, Colorado State University (Seonah Kim)
Likes: Running, sci-fi novels, brewing, clementine (the band), motorcycles
Ally Cunningham
Origin: Winthrop, Maine
Education: B.S. in Biochemistry, Simmons University (Nancy Lee)
Likes: Cats, reading, plants, crochet, traveling
Zach Zimmerman
Origin: Elizabeth, Colorado
Education: B.S in Chemistry, Metropolitan State University of Denver (Shailesh Ambre and Megan Filbin)
Likes: Winter, snowboarding, woodworking, hiking, guitar
1ST YEAR GRADUATE STUDENTS
Ray Carothers
Origin: Chester, Virginia
Education: B.S. in Chemistry, Christopher Newport University (Jeffrey Carney)
Likes: Hiking, cooking, camping, reading, piano, and cats
John Estock
Origin: Fort Mill, South Carolina
Education: B.S.E in Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina (Chuanbing Tang)
Likes: Dr. Pepper, soccer, volleyball, hiking, reading
Megan Rothenberg
Origin: Broomfield, Colorado
Education: B.S. in Chemistry, University of Tampa (Christine Theodore)
Likes: Cats, Yerba Mate, hiking, crafts
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
Curtis Lake
Origin: Wray, Colorado
Education: A.S. of Science and pursuing B.S. in chemistry
Likes: Reading, hiking, and being outdoors
Tyler Ryan
Origin: South Amboy, NJ
Education: Navy Nuclear Power Training Program, Currently pursuing a Bachelors in Chemistry
Likes: Coffee drinking, baking, coffee roasting, plants, woodworking, and coffee.
Gwen Wilusz
Origin: Fort Collins, CO
Education: Pursuing a B.S. in Chemistry (Minor in Mathematics)
Likes: Horses, dogs, travelling, soccer, baseball