Officer Bios

President:
Valentina Montes

Valentina Montes is a first-year masters student in Chemical Engineering. She received her bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from University of Alicante. She enjoys sports such as soccer, volleyball, swimming and recently waterski. She also enjoys hiking, traveling, and going to natural parks. She hopes to do a great job as a ChEMS president this year. Go Green!!

 Vice president:
Nunzio Carducci

Nunzio Carducci (he/him) is a third-year PhD student in chemical engineering. He earned his B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Wyoming in 2020. His research interests include biomimetic enzyme cofactors and organic electrochemistry. He is also heading the ChEMS Mentorship Program, which connects new doctoral students with peer mentors to improve their transition to graduate school. Outside of the lab, he manages his own photography and clothing brands, goes snowboarding, and can cook a mean sweet potato casserole. He is also potentially the biggest Star Wars fan at MSU, and he is looking forward to getting more students involved in GSA events using the promise of free food and fun activities.

Treasurer:
Priyangika Pitawala

Priyangika Pitawala (she/her) is a second-year PhD student in Chemical Engineering. She received her B.Sc in Chemical Engineering in 2021 from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. After graduation, she worked as a teaching assistant at her undergraduate school prior to joining MSU. Her research interest is in polymer science and engineering. She is currently working on developing novel polymers for 3D printing as part of the Hickner Group. Her hobbies include reading fiction in fantasy and paranormal genres and trying new food from different places.

Secretary:
Annie Needs

Annie Needs (she/her) is a second-year PhD student in chemical engineering. She earned her B.S. in chemical engineering from Calvin University in 2021 and worked as a production engineer at a soybean crush plant before starting her PhD in 2022. Annie's current research is in protein engineering, specifically focusing on antibody discovery and development for therapeutic applications. Outside of lab work, she enjoys running, trying out new coffee shops & restaurants, & watching sports. Annie is excited to work with the GSA to support & connect the ChEMS graduate students.

  Webmaster: 
Daniel Maldonado-Lopez

Daniel Maldonado-Lopez (he/him) is a third-year Ph.D. student in Materials Science and Engineering. He is investigating 2D materials using quantum-mechanical calculations under Dr. Jose Mendoza. Danny pursued computational materials science after a summer internship in a computational lab at UC San Diego. He received his B.Sc. degree in Nanotechnology in 2020 from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Apart from doing science, Danny enjoys playing music (guitar, bass, drums), lifting weights, and dancing salsa. As a GSA officer, he hopes to organize cool events and get more people involved in GSA activities.