Principal Investigator
Dr. Amanda Stockton has been with the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the Georgia Institute of Technology since January 2015. Her research includes (1) instrument development for in situ organic analysis in the search for extraterrestrial life, (2) microfluidic approaches to experimentally evaluating hypotheses on the origin of biomolecules and the emergence of life, and (3) terrestrial applications of these technologies for environmental analysis and point-of-care diagnostics.
Postdoctoral Fellows and Staff
Mike, Nick, and Anna have moved on. Check out our Alumni page!
Doctoral Students
Chad Pozarycki is from Franklin Lakes, NJ and enjoys climbing, sailing, and surfing. He received a Bachelors in Astronomy and Astrophysics from Penn State, performing research with Dr. Chris House, and went on to work with the Curiosity Rover’s Sample Analysis at Mars team at NASA Goddard. Chad’s post-bachelors work involved mass spectrometry research and sample curation for NASA’s Laboratory for Agnostic Biosignatures and the Johnson Biosignatures Laboratory at Georgetown. Chad joined the Stockton Lab in 2021 and is presently working with the Oceans Across Space and Time team to analyze hypersaline lake systems in Western Australia.
Chloe N. LeCates is from Roswell, GA and enjoys traveling, reading, and playing video games. She has worked with the Stockton Lab since 2018 as an undergraduate student and began pursuing her Ph.D. in Chemistry in Fall 2022. She plans on pursuing research into the how the microbial primary succession pathway affects the nutrient content of Martian and lunar analogs with the goal of learning how they transform into a viable agricultural medium. Chloe plans to continue research in Astrobiology with the eventual goal of becoming a college professor.
Augustine Atta Debrah is currently a second-year Chemistry Ph.D. student in the Stockton Lab. He obtained a bachelor’s in Laboratory Technology under the supervision of Mr. Rex Okoto at the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Ghana. Before arriving at Georgia Tech, he worked with Prof. Zhenxia Du at the Beijing University of Chemical Technology. His research interests lie in analytical chemistry, specifically microfluidics. His primary focus is on instrument design for the rapid diagnosis of infectious diseases and environmental analysis in low-resourced environments. He aspires to become an expert in the fabrication of microfluidic devices to improve real-time analysis in the field and eventually a professor. He enjoys reading, movies, and photography.
Markace Rainey is a 5th year PhD student in the Stockton Lab at Georgia Tech, where he specializes in ion mobility separations and mass spectrometric analysis. His graduate work focuses on the development of computational tools to aid in the processing of metabolomics data. Prior to joining the graduate program, Markace obtained his bachelors in biochemistry with a focus on pre-health sciences from Georgia Tech. During his undergrad, he worked in Will Ratcliff’s lab in the School of Biological Sciences, studying the experimental evolution of multicellularity using yeast model systems. Markace’s post-baccalaureate experience includes a fellowship with the Department of Defense, developing medical countermeasures to organophosphate intoxication. Outside of the lab, Markace greatly enjoys teaching in the undergraduate program.
Undergraduate Students
Mariah Castillo is a third year undergraduate student from Santiago, Chile. She’s getting a degree in Chemistry with a Research Concentration. She is working with Augustine on microfluidic device fabrication and Chad on using CE-LIF to evaluate the biodosimetry of urine samples subject to radiation. She hopes to continue her studies through a Ph.D. and eventually become a professor. In her free time, she likes to teach and draw.
Jessie McKenzie is a new member of the group. Her bio will be coming soon!
Sudikshaa Anandakumar is a second year undergraduate student from Suwanee, GA. She’s getting a degree in Biochemistry with a Pre-Health focus. She’s working with Chad to use CE-LIF to evaluate the biodosimetry of urine samples subject to radiation. She plans on attending medical school to pursue a career in clinical pathology. Outside the lab, she is part of Bollywood dance team and teaches Karate.
Grace Gentner is a a new member of the group. Her picture and bio will be coming soon!
Mackenzie Eader is a fourth year undergraduate student from Warner Robins, GA. She is pursuing a degree in Chemistry with a concentration in Biochemistry and hopes to continue on to graduate school next year. She also did an internship at Huntsmen during Summer 2023. When not in the lab, she likes to crochet, knit, bake pies, and go on hikes.
Jenna Larson is a fourth year undergraduate student from Dallas, TX. She’s pursuing a degree in Chemistry with a Pre-Health concentration and hopes to pursue a career in chemistry-related research after graduation. Outside of lab, she enjoys lifeguarding at the CRC, playing with her kitten, embroidering, and baking cakes and breads.
Soumit Guntupalli is a second year undergraduate student pursuing a degree in biology and is from Kennesaw, GA. Some things he enjoys doing are hiking, traveling, cooking and playing tennis. He hopes to go to dental school after graduation and pursue a career in dentistry.
Tianyu Xu is a new member of the group. His bio will be coming soon!
Interns
Rohit Sarnaik is a senior in Wheeler High School from Marietta, GA. He’s currently working in the lab to gain research experience while he applies for colleges this year. He plans to pursue a Biochemistry degree and subsequently go to medical school. He plays the bass in orchestra and enjoys playing basketball and football in his free time. His picture will be coming soon!