Meet the team
About Max
Max Majireck is currently Associate Professor of Chemistry and Director of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at Hamilton College, and an Affiliate Faculty Member at Masonic Medical Research Institute. Born and raised in the South Hills of Pittsburgh, Max earned a B.S. in Biochemistry at Grove City College. There, he found his passion for synthetic chemistry while spending three years conducting inorganic synthesis research with Prof. Chuck Kriley, and one summer in Prof. Ian Rothwell's group at Purdue University. A brief flirtation with chemical engineering via a summer internship at CONSOL Energy confirmed that Max is better with a lab coat and flask than a hard hat and wrench. Following this, Max pursued his true passion of organic synthesis, earning a Ph.D. under the guidance of Prof. Steven Weinreb while working on a variety of total synthesis and methodology projects. Desiring to solve problems in biology and medicine using synthetic chemistry, Max worked as a postdoctoral fellow in Prof. Stuart Schreiber's lab at Harvard University and The Broad Institute where he was selected for a Leukemia & Lymphoma Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship. By mentoring younger lab members and interns over the years, Max developed a passion for teaching and mentorship that brought him back to his small liberal arts college roots. In 2013, Max was appointed as faculty at Hamilton College, earning tenure in 2019 along with multiple teaching and research awards. Outside of work, Max enjoys playing in a rock band with his daughter, going on dates with his wife, camping, drinking too much coffee, and free food of any kind.
AWARDS AND HONORS
2022-2025 National Science Foundation RUI Grant
2022-2024 American Heart Association Institutional Research Enhancement Award (AIREA) (with Co-PI Dr. Khanh Ha, MMRI)
2022 Early Career Achievement Award; Hamilton College
2021-2022 Organic Syntheses, Inc. PUI Summer Research Grant
2019 Levitt Center Research & Innovation Award
2017 New York Six (NY6) New Academic Working Group Seed Grant
2015 Class of 1963 Excellence in Teaching Award; Hamilton College
2015 Sigma Xi Grants-in-Aid of Research (Awarded to group member Ben Wesley)
2015 Social Innovation and Transformational Leadership Grant; Sponsored by the Levitt Center & DOF at Hamilton College
2014 Class of 1966 Career Development Award; Hamilton College
Meet the team (2023-24 academic year)
All team members are undergraduates at Hamilton College
Majireck Group Summer '24
At the Clinton farmer's market!
Jordan Merklin
Major: BMB
Favorite Movie: The Notebook
Team Pyridine
Beau Sinardo
Major: BMB
Favorite Volleyball Player: Max Majireck
Team Pyridine
Yuxuan Xu
Major: Neuroscience
Favorite Chemist: Alex Szyperek
Team Pyridine
Will Strutton
Major: BMB / Math
Favorite Raquette Sport: Cucumber
Team Pyridine
Prim Udomphan
Major:
Chemistry
Favorite Hobby: Solo travelling in any walkable city
Teams Pyridine / Alkaloid
Chrissy Crespo
Major: BMB / Art
Favorite Ninja Turtle: Donatello
Team Pyridine
Carolyn Levin
Major: BMB / Art
Favorite Reality TV Show: 90 Day Fiancé
Team Pyridine
Arshdeep Kaur
Major: BMB
Team Peptide
Rejoice Muleya
Major: BMB
Team Peptide
Maddie Boger
Major: Math
Favorite sweet treat: Stewart's mint chip milkshake
Team Pyridine
John Carbone
Major: BMB
Team Melokhanine
Meredith Jenny
Major: Chemistry
Team Pyridine
Lauren Hanna
Major: Chemistry
Team Peptide
Christie Lam
Major: Hispanic Studies
Team Pyridine
Dasomie Kim
Major: BMB
Favorite amino acid: 3-chlorotyrosine
Team Peptide
Andy Hohman
Major: Chemistry / History
Team Melokhanine
Ryan Rahman
Major: BMB
Favorite Instrument: Not the HPLC
Team Peptide
Joe Kubofcik
Major: BMB
Favorite Team: Steelers
Team Peptide
Elise Kwon
Major: BMB
Team Pyridine
Jeffrey Cheng
Major: BMB / Econ
Favorite model organism: Drosophila melanogaster
Team Peptide
Past and Present Group Members
Class Year – Student Name (Major)
2014 – Katie Weinert-Stein (Chemistry)
2014 – Chris Whiting (Chemical Physics)
2015 – Kathleen Allen (Chemistry, Math)
2015 – Sky Aulita (Chemistry)
2015 – Tina Choinski (Chemistry)
2015 – Esther Cleary (Chemistry)
2016 – John Bennett (Chemistry, Math)
2016 – Michael Dyer (Neuroscience)
2016 – Hannah Ferris (BMB)
2016 – Alex Kaplan (BMB, Hispanic Studies)
2016 – Yingbin Mei (BMB)
2016 – Ben Wesley (BMB)
2017 – Ben Schafer (Chemistry, Physics)
2017 – Jon Shapiro (Chemistry)
2017 – Chris Williams (Chemistry)
2017 – Sharif Shrestha (BMB, Economics)
2018 – Alex Betrus (Chemistry)
2018 – Justin Sonberg (BMB)
2018 – Mackenzie Morshead (BMB, Art)
2018 – Catherine Lyndaker (Chemistry)
2018 – Jack Goodman (Chemistry)
2018 – Caitlin Anthony (BMB)
2018 – Giovanny Dominguez (Chemistry)
2018 – Sofia Rachad (Economics)
2019 – Phoebe Keyes (Chemistry)
2019 – Olivia Simone (Chemistry)
2019 – Danielle Rodrigues (BMB)
2019 – Emily DeJong (BMB)
2019 – Ashna Lalwani (BMB)
2020 – Alisha Blades (Chemistry)
2020 – Danielle McConnell (Chemistry)
2020 – Caroline Sullivan (BMB)
2020 – Amar Kassim (BMB)
2020 – Carlos Espindola Gomez
2020 – Paul Hart (BMB)
2020 – Kristin Hughes (Chemistry)
2021 – Amy Glanzer (Chemistry)
2021 – Holly Hutchinson (Chemistry)
2021 – David Opozda (BMB)
2021 – Ashley Thayaparan (Neuroscience)
2022 – Karly Leiman (Neuroscience)
2022 – Maurice Tang (BMB)
2022 – Bella Bote (Art History)
2022 – Zoe Krevlin (Environmental Studies)
2022 – Eva Abel (BMB)
2022 – Jake Ryan (Chemistry)
2022 – Caleb Phelan (Chemistry)
2022 – Joel Adade (Chemistry)
2023 – Arpita Banik (Biology)
2023 – Lucy Kiernat (BMB)
2023 – Yasin Haffary (Biology)
2023 – Sambhat Bandari (Biology)
2023 – Luke Cohen-Abeles (BMB)
2023 – Stephen Cho (BMB)
2023 – Khady Gueye (BMB)
2024 – Alex Szyperek (Chemistry)
2024 – John Frank (Chemistry, Philosophy)
2024 – Kimberly Chase (BMB)
2024 – Mark Fakler (Philosophy)
2024 – Naima Akter (BMB)
2024 - Annie Kennedy (Chem)
2024 - Zoe Katz (BMB)
2025 – Chrissy Crespo (Art, BMB)
2025 – Will Strutton (Math, BMB)
2025 – Christie Lam (BMB)
2025 – Ryan Rahman (BMB)
2025 - Joe Kubofcik (BMB)
2025 - Dasomie Kim (BMB)
2025 - Maddie Boger (Math)
2026 – Prim Udomphan (Chemistry)
2026- Carolyn Levin (Art, BMB)
2026 - Jordan Merklin (BMB)
2026 - Elise Kwon (BMB)
2026 - Andy Hohman (Chemistry/History)
2026 - Beau Sinardo (BMB)
2026 - Arshdeep Kaur (BMB)
2026 - Yuxuan Xu (Neuroscience)
2026 - Meredith Jenny (Chemistry)
2027 - Rejoice Muleya (Data Science)
*BMB = Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Group member placement after graduation
Graduate School
Boston University, Colorado State University, Columbia University, George Washington, Harvard University, Minnesota, New York University, Oregon State, Pennsylvania State University, Purdue University, The Scripps Research Institute, University of Connecticut, University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, University of Pittsburgh, University of Rochester, University of San Diego, University of Vermont, Vanderbilt University, Weill-Cornell
Health Professions
Albert Einstein, Colorado State University, Dartmouth, Emory University, Florida Atlantic University, Mayo Clinic, Pennsylvania State University, Rosalind Franklin Institute, SUNY Upstate, University of Massachusetts Amherst, University of Rochester
Industry
Cleantech Open, EMD Serrano, Epic, Neurocrine, Novartis, Regeneron, plus a few biotech startups
Research Assistantships and Fellowships
Beaumont Research Institue, Bigelow Laboratory, Boston Sports and Shoulder, Broad Institute of Harvard & MIT, Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Los Alamos National Laboratory, National Institutes of Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, Watson Foundation