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 returned to UC Berkeley in July 2025 as an assistant professor, where his research focuses on utilizing 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
-
Johnny was born and raised in Eugene, Oregon. He received a B.S. in chemistry from Boston College in 2021 where he worked on boron based strategies for alkene difunctionalization in the lab of Jim Morken. He then went to Princeton to do his PhD broadly in the area of photoredox catalysis in the lab of Sir David W. C. MacMillan. At the start of his third year of his PhD, Johnny conditionally agreed to do a postdoc with Colin, and after graduating in 2026, Johnny officially joined the Gould lab to explore new stimulus promoted methods. Outside of lab, Johnny enjoys stuffing his face with food, hanging out with friends, and going to the gym.
GRADUATE STUDENTS
-
Second Year Graduate Student (Co-Advised with Jeff Long)
From Fremont, CA, Arjun received his B.S. in Chemistry at Haverford College before returning to the Bay Area for graduate studies. His research at Haverford with Prof. Gordon Peterson focused on using machine learning methods to understand and predict patterns of anomalously low thermal conductivity in thermoelectric materials as well as the solid state synthesis of magnetic materials. With the Gould group, he is excited to pursue the discovery and synthesis of functional porous polymer materials for selective adsorption of metals. Outside of the lab, Arjun enjoys tennis, trivia, and going on road trips to national parks.
-
Second Year Graduate 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.
-
Second Year Graduate 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.
-
Second Year Graduate 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.
-
Second Year Graduate Student
Originally from Santiago, Chile, Mariah earned her B.S. in Chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2025. Her research under Dr. Jake Soper on vanadium oxo complexes supported by redox active ligands, along with her internship at Merck developing a hybrid lipolytic activity assay, inspired her interest in methodology and catalyst design for pharmaceutical applications. She has also gained extensive interdisciplinary research experience through her work in the Zhang Lab on core–shell bimetallic nanoparticles, the Reber Lab on 2D IR spectrometer development, and the Stockton Lab on metabolomic detection using capillary electrophoresis–laser induced fluorescence. In her free time, Mariah enjoys creating digital animations, practicing nail art at home, collecting Pokémon cards and Smiskis, and seeking out new restaurants to try around Berkeley.
LAB MASCOT
-
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.
Outside of Lab
Recruitment Hike (2025)
Chiyoung’s Paper Celebration (2025)
Holiday Party (2025)
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.