The Kumar Lab

Islam Araar (3^rd year)
Islam is from Canada (Montréal) and Algeria (Algiers). He received a 1st Class Honours degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Kingston University and was awarded for outstanding performance. In his final year, he conducted research under the supervision of Dr. Stephen Wren, developing synthetic methodologies for accessing bioactive fluorenes. He carried out his MSc by research degree at the University of York and his master thesis with Professor Peter O’Brien, working on the synthesis of heterocycles for fragment elaboration in 3-D to produce medicinally relevant compounds. In September 2023, he began his PhD in the Kumar Lab at UCL, where he is focusing on the discovery and development of new radical reactions using visible-light.  Outside of the lab, Islam enjoys doing many sports including weightlifting, long/short distance running, and Judo.

Stefan Chakarov (3^rd Year)
Stefan was born and raised in Ruse – a small town in the north of Bulgaria, where he attended the High School of Mathematics ‘Baba Tonka’. During this time, his passion about chemistry flourished and his deep interest in the field led him to enrol on an integrated master’s course (MChem) at Lancaster University. He graduated with first-class honours in July 2022. In the summer of 2021, Stefan underwent a project under the supervision of Dr. Susannah Coote where he explored the photochemistry of 1,2-dihydropyridazines and the flow hydrogenation of their photoproducts. As part of his final year research project, Stefan worked with Dr. Vilius Franckevicius on the development of an asymmetric palladium-catalysed strategy to prepare enantioenriched azetidines. Both research experiences fueled his desire to learn about new chemistry, and he is now pursuing a PhD in the Kumar Lab at UCL, with the goal of developing sustainable C-O bond activation strategies.

Anna-Maria Dzydyk
Anna-Maria (Annie) Dzyadyk is from Surrey, England. She completed A-Levels in Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics, and completed her undergraduate studies in America, as a student-athlete. Annie graduated with a BSc in Chemistry from the College of Saint Rose, located in Albany, New York. During undergraduate research, she investigated benzimidazolone derivatives using palladium and copper catalysts at different conditions. Currently, Annie is pursuing an MSc in Organic Chemistry: Drug Discovery at UCL, where she will conduct her master’s thesis in the Kumar Lab. Outside of academia, Annie enjoys being active and loves cooking.

Anas Mohamed Amin (Master 2024-25)

Roman Tinkov (Master 2024-25)

Angelica Dunkley (Master 2023-24)

Chunyin Kwok (Master 2023-24)

Xuezheng Hu (Master 2023-24)