Ryan Lai

Ryan grew up in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and earned his B.S. in Chemistry from Penn State University in 2023. During his time at Penn State, he conducted research under Professor Jonathan Kuo, focusing on the synthesis of aza-quaternary centers using a Brønsted basic auxiliary. In 2023, Ryan headed west to UCLA, where he joined the Maynard group. His current research focuses on synthesizing biosourced degradable polymers and developing high-throughput methods for polymer synthesis and degradation. Outside the lab, he enjoys rock climbing, basketball, backpacking, camping, running, traveling, and exploring everything Los Angeles has to offer.