The Grover Group
Graduate Students
Sima Alavi
Ph.D. candidate
Sima grew up in Isfahan, a city in central Iran known for its Persian architecture. Sima received her B.Sc. from Isfahan University in applied chemistry (2008) and M.Sc. from the University of Kashan in organic chemistry (2011). She then worked as a research assistant and a TA at Azad University of Najafabad, Iran. In her free time, Sima enjoys travelling, swimming, and cooking. Sima joined the Grover group in 2017.
Aabid Bhat
Ph.D. candidate
Aabid was born in Kashmir, a region famous for Saffron Crocus. Aabid received his B.Sc. in pharmacy from PCTE Institute, India (2012) and M.Sc. in pharmaceutical chemistry from Jamia Hamdard University (2014). Following his Master’s degree, Aabid worked as a project assistant at the AcSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine. In his free time, Aabid enjoys reading, cooking, and traveling. Aabid joined the Grover group in 2017.
Aynaz Ziadkhani
Ph.D. candidate
Aynaz was born and raised in Tabriz, a Turkish-speaking city in the Northwest region of Iran, known for its hand-woven rugs. Aynaz received her B.Sc. (2017) and M.Sc. (2019) from Sharif University of Technology (SUT) in pure chemistry and organic chemistry, respectively. In her free time, Aynaz enjoys hiking, watching movies and reading. She joined the Grover group in 2022 and is co-supervised by Dr. Graham Bodwell.
Salman Bagherzadeh
M.Sc. candidate
Salman Bagherzadeh is originally from Birjand, Iran, a city known for its saffron, pistachios, and old educational institutions. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Birjand. Nurturing his passion for synthesis and chemical processes, in 2022 he moved to Newfoundland to pursue his graduate studies in organic chemistry, aiming to contribute to the advancements in the field of natural product total synthesis. Beyond his academic pursuits, Salman has a distinct interest in the culinary arts. Cooking serves as a creative platform for him to experiment with diverse flavors, textures, and cultural cuisines.
Undergraduate Students
Blake Chislette
Summer NSERC USRA
Undergraduate student.
Rafael Goméz
Mitacs Globalink Research Internship
Rafael comes from Cali, a Colombian city known for being the Rumba Capital and having exotic gastronomy. Rafael is in his 9th semester of undergrad chemistry with emphasis in biochemistry as well as pharmaceutical chemistry at Icesi University. He joined the group as part of the Mitacs Globalink Research Internship program. In his free time, he enjoys music, video games, and exploring new places. Rafael joined the Grover Group in 2023.
Kenna Hynes
MUCEP Student
Kenna grew up on the outskirts of St. John’s, where she established a strong connection to her Newfoundland heritage and culture with the ocean as her playground. Kenna is a third year student at MUN, planning to pursue an honours degree in organic chemistry. She joined the group as a research assistant through Memorial’s Undergraduate Career Experience Program to gain experience with techniques utilised in organic synthesis and to get a deeper understanding of organic chemistry. In her free time, Kenna enjoys exploring the trails along Newfoundland’s coastline, baking, and playing the piano.
Interested in joining the Grover group?
Contact Dr. Grover (hgrover @ mun . ca).
Alumni
Nathan Tucker – MSc 2022 – subsequent position: bachelor of education at MUN
Mitchell Fagan – Undergraduate thesis 2020-2021 – subsequent position: medical student at MUN
Kirklind Lockyer – MSc Candidate 2019-2020 – subsequent position: medical student at MUN
Daniel Kelly – SURA May-August 2019
Victoria Rose – Undergraduate thesis 2017-2018, NSERC USRA 2018 – subsequent position: graduate student at SFU