Team
Colin A. Gould
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF CHEMISTRY
Born in Washington, Pennsylvania, Colin received an Sc. B. from Brown University in 2015. He then pursued graduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley in the group of Prof. Jeff Long and worked as a Beckman postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Prof. Dave MacMillan at Princeton University. Colin will return to UC Berkeley in July 2025 as an assistant professor, where he aims to utilize physical stimuli— including light, electricity, and magnetic exchange— to enable new methods for pharmaceutical and fine chemical synthesis.
Outside of the lab, Colin is passionate about teaching and science outreach, particularly at the K–12 level.
POSTDOCTORAL SCHOLARS
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Chiyoung Ahn was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea. He earned his B.S. in Pharmacy with honors from Seoul National University (SNU), where he also obtained his pharmacist license. In 2013, he completed his M.S. under the supervision of Prof.Young-Ger Suh at SNU, focusing on the total synthesis of the bioactive natural product nardostachysin via a Tsuji–Trost allylic cyclization.
Following his master’s degree, Chiyoung worked for three and a half years as a medicinal chemist on the drug discovery team at Dong-A ST in Korea, contributing tothe development of GPR40 and GPR119 agonists. He then pursued his Ph.D. in chemistry in Prof. M. Christina White’s group at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (UIUC), where he developed a chemoselective manganese-catalyzed remote C(sp³)–H oxidation system and a neural network model to predict oxidation sites in complex substrates.
After earning his Ph.D. in 2024, Chiyoung joined Gould group at UC Berkeley as its first member. His research focuses on electrochemical radical generation from common functional groups to streamline the synthesis of pharmaceutically relevant molecules, alongside other projects in synthetic methodology using magnetic energy inputs.
GRADUATE STUDENTS
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Summer Rotation Student
From Gainesville, Florida, Emma received her B.S. in Chemistry in 2025 from the University of Florida where she investigated photoredox catalysis under Dr. Daniel Seidel. Driven by her love for synthetic methods development, she joined the Gould group in 2025 to explore electrochemical transformations. Outside of lab, Emma enjoys working out, running, and exploring local farmers markets.
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Summer Rotation Student (Co-Advised with Jeff Long)
Jon is a first-year graduate student from London, UK. He graduated from Amherst College in 2025 with a B.A. in Chemistry, where he worked for Professor Ren Wiscons studying how stoichiometric dopants impact conductivity in organic single-crystal semiconductors. His experience at Amherst, along with two stints at Brookhaven National Laboratory, shaped his interest in using synthetic chemistry to develop novel materials. Beyond research, Jon enjoys playing soccer, running, and attending concerts.
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Summer Rotation Student
gabe-jones-thomson@berkeley.edu
Gabe was born and raised in Massachusetts. He graduated from Greenfield Community College in 2021 with an A.S. in Chemistry, and from Haverford College with a B.S. in Chemistry and a minor in Physics in 2025. Gabe discovered his excitement for developing new synthetic methods while researching carbonyl-olefin metathesis in Professor Corinna Schindler’s lab at the University of Michigan. With a passion for synthetic methodology, he worked on new routes to chiral nitrogen heterocycles with Professor Bill Malachowski at Bryn Mawr College, and on photoredox catalysis with Professor Abigail Doyle at the University of California Los Angeles. Excited to incorporate nontraditional tools into organic synthesis, Gabe joined the Gould group, where his research leverages magnetic exchange for the construction of small molecules. Outside of lab, Gabe enjoys spending time with friends, going to the gym, and playing guitar and piano.
LAB MASCOT
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Lab Mascot
Adopted in New Jersey, Ruby is currently working towards her B. A. (Bachelor of Arfs) at the University of California, Bark-eley. Her hobbies include playing fetch, stealing socks, and hiking with Colin and Stephen.
Join us!
Graduate Students
We are actively recruiting Ph. D. students. If you’re curious about the group, feel free to reach out to Colin. Prospective graduate students must first apply to Berkeley’s graduate program.
Postdoctoral Fellows
Postdoc candidates should email Colin. Please make sure to include a cover letter, your resume or CV, a list of references, and a brief summary of prior research focus in your submission.