Seiple Group at Scripps

Meet the People

We are a diverse team of graduate students and postdocs working at the forefront of synthetic chemistry research.

Current Members

Andrew Ecker, PhD

Andrew received his B.S. in Molecular Synthesis from UC San Diego where he worked in the Gerwick Lab on natural product isolation from marine cyanobacteria. He conducted his doctoral work at UCSF working on new methods to profile arginine reactivity in the Zaro and Seiple labs. He enjoys running, biking, reading, crocheting, and video games—and has over 100 plants at home.

Cecilia Panfil

Cecilia graduated from Princeton University with a B.A. in Chemistry and conducted undergraduate research in the Sorensen Lab on natural product synthesis. She enjoys line dancing, going to the movies, and spending time with her pet Carbo(cation).

Eugene Toth

Eugene earned his B.A. from New York University and previously worked on synthesizing conformationally constrained helices. Outside the lab, he enjoys cooking, cycling, surfing, skiing, and reading.

Hejun Deng, PhD

Hejun received hier B.S. from Xiamen University and her Ph.D. from UT Southwestern Medical Center, where she worked in the Tian Qin Lab on the total synthesis of nimbolide and plumisclerin A. Outside the laboratory, she enjoys studying mathematics, physics, computer science and spending time with her cat, Mimi.

JiaKai Zhang

Jiakai received his B.S. in Chemistry from Nankai University, where he focused on organic synthesis and catalysis. He enjoys photography, badminton, and cooking Chinese food.

Katelyn Dale

Katelyn earned her B.S. in Chemistry from UC Berkeley, where she conducted research on biodegradable polymers for surgical adhesives. Outside the lab, she enjoys running, hiking, and playing piano.

Kyle Nagasawa

Kyle earned his B.S. in Biochemistry from UCLA, where he studied natural product total synthesis and fungal natural product biosynthesis. Outside the lab, he enjoys hiking, gaming, and exploring restaurants around San Diego.

Manuel Einsiedler, PhD

Manuel earned his B.Sc. and M.Sc. from the Technical University of Munich and his Dr. rer. nat. from the Dresden University of Technology, where he worked in the TAM Gulder Lab on biocatalysis and natural product biosynthesis. He enjoys running, biking, playing guitar, and karaoke nights.

Ian Seiple

Ian received his BS from UC Berkeley, where he worked in the lab of Dirk Trauner on two total synthesis projects. He conducted his graduate work with Phil Baran at Scripps Research pursuing the synthesis of marine alkaloids and developing radical coupling chemistry. After a postdoctoral stay with Andy Myers in which he developed modular syntheses of macrolide antibiotics, he started his independent career at UC San Francisco. He moved to Scripps Research in 2024, where his research focuses on the development of new chemistry to access medicinally important, complex molecules.