Aditya Kolisetti is a member of Emory’s graduating class of 2024. He completed a Chemistry major and an English minor at Emory. In chemistry, he worked on total synthesis and medicinal chemistry projects in the Dai lab as well as environmental science research in the Sihi lab.

Speaking of his work in the Dai lab, Aditya says: “I am excited to see how we can access biologically relevant small molecules creatively, performing unexpected transformations to reach target scaffolds.”

Aditya joined the Dai lab shortly after Dr. Dai moved to Emory from Purdue, becoming one of the first Emory undergraduates to work in the lab. “After Aditya started to work in my lab, he demonstrated his capability in quickly learning new chemistry and experimental skills,” says Dr. Mingji Dai. “He has shown unwavering determination to excel in organic chemistry research.”

“[Aditya] has shown unwavering determination to excel in organic chemistry research.”

Dr. Mingji Dai

In addition to learning new reactions and solving the mechanisms, Aditya’s time at Emory was marked by his willingess to share his finding and help others. “I often see him by one of the many whiteboards in our chemistry building, explaining Molecular Orbital diagrams to our sophomore students or walking through mechanisms with anyone willing to chat.,” says Mingji. “I’m told that he always has a marker in his bag in case someone stops him in the hallway to ask a question.”

Aditya’s community spirit was recognized with the Department of Chemistry’s Student’s Choice Award, an annual award given to one undergraduate chemistry major based entirely on a vote by their peers.

Starting in Fall 2024, Aditya will be pursuing a PhD in Organic Chemistry at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, with the future goal of a postdoctoral position and a faculty career in his own research lab.