The Team
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.
Summer 2026
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.
RESEARCH SCIENTIST
Lance P. Go
Industry-Partner Research Scientist
Origin: Metro Manila, Philippines
Education: PhD in Chemistry, Tokyo Metropolitan University (Kotohiro Nomura), Japan
Likes: Hiking, running, trying new food, MacGuyver
Contact: lance.p.go at colostate.edu, ORCID, Google Scholar
POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHERS
Sirilak Mekcham
Postdoctoral Scientist
Origin: Bangkok, Thailand
Education: PhD in Chemistry, Tokyo Metropolitan University (Kotohiro Nomura), Japan
Likes: Traveling, Dogs, Cats, Matcha
Contact: sirilak.mekcham at colostate.edu, LinkedIn, ORCID, Google Scholar
5TH YEAR GRADUATE STUDENTS
Alex Claiborne
Origin: Fort Collins, Colorado
Education: B.S. in Chemistry, Colorado State University (Seonah Kim)
Likes: Running, LOTR books, brewing, clementine (the band), motorcycles
Contact: ralexbo at colostate.edu, LinkedIn, ORCID, Google Scholar, Github, ResearchGate
Ally Cunningham
Origin: Winthrop, Maine
Education: B.S. in Biochemistry, Simmons University (Nancy Lee)
Likes: Cooking and baking, running, cats, biking, music
Contact: Ally.Cunningham at colostate.edu, LinkedIn
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, LOTR games
Contact: Zach.Zimmerman at colostate.edu, LinkedIn
4TH YEAR GRADUATE STUDENT
Megan Rothenberg
Origin: Broomfield, Colorado
Education: B.S. in Chemistry, University of Tampa (Christine Theodore)
Likes: Taking my cat for walks, tea, hiking, crafts
Contact: Megan.Rothenberg at colostate.edu, LinkedIn, ORCID
3RD YEAR GRADUATE STUDENTS
Macioe Firsching
Origin: Edwardsville, IL
Education: B.S. Chemistry, B.S. Biology, B.S. Biochemistry/Molecular Biology, Missouri Western State University
Likes: My rabbits, millipedes, Elsa
Elizabeth Thompson
Origin: Edwardsville, IL
Education: B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Truman State University (Justine Olson, Yohei Norimatsu)
Likes: Hiking, dogs, running, camping, crafts
Contact: e.j.thompson at colostate.edu, LinkedIn, ORCID
2ND YEAR GRADUATE STUDENT
Adelle Kirshner
Origin: Los Angeles, CA
Education: B.S. Chemistry California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Philip Costanzo)
Likes: Music, plants, pottery, hikes, swimming
Contact: adelle.kirshner at colostate.edu, LinkedIn, ORCID
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
Alex Bailey
Origin: Roanoke, VA
Education: A.S. with Mathematics concentration, Virginia Western Community College
Likes: triathlon, cooking, reading, snowboarding
Elayna King
Origin: Firestone, CO
Education: 4th year Biomedical Science Major (Anatomy and Physiology) and Chemistry Minor
Likes: Reading, Dancing, Plants, Eating good food, Matcha, Cooking, and Music
Gus Miller
Origin: San Luis Valley Colorado
Education: pursuing a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering and a B.S. Chemical and Biological Engineering
Likes: running, hiking, reading, crafting, hockey, music, and pretty much anything outdoors or active
Anna Netherlin
Origin:
Education:
Likes:
FORMER MEMBERS
| Name | Year(s) in Group | Degree Earned/ Position | 1st appointment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camille Prefountain | 2026 | REU Student | Illinois College Undergraduate |
| Jacob Berg | 2026 | REU Student | Colorado Mesa University Undergraduate |
| Dr. Owen Lee | 2024-2026 | Postdoctoral Scholar | Postdoctoral Scholar at the University of Delaware |
| Atlas Quaine | 2024-2026 | Undergraduate Researcher | |
| Amy Devito | 2025 | REU Student | University of New Hampshire Undergraduate |
| John Estock | 2023-2025 | M.S. | Empirical Labs |
| Gwen Wilusz | 2022-2025 | Undergraduate Researcher (B.S.) | PhD Student at Princeton University |
| Curtis Lake | 2022-2025 | Undergraduate Researcher (B.S.) | |
| Maria Riek | 2024 | REU Student | Graduate Student in the Bandar Lab @CSU |
| Tyler Ryan | 2022-2024 | Undergraduate Researcher (B.S.) | Nuance Chocolate Company Owner |
| Dr. Ioannis Choinopoulos | 2023-2024 | Research Scientist | Research Collaborator at University of Crete |
Previous Group Photos
Winter 2025
Winter 2024
Winter 2023
Winter 2022
Lab Mascots
