CURRENT GROUP MEMBERS

Postdocs

Matthew Nodwell ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ


Matt is a BC native from Penticton. Before joining the Britton group, he did his Ph.D. with Dr. Raymond Andersen at UBC, then worked as a Humboldt postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Stephan Sieber at the Technical University of Munich. He is happy to be back home, where he can pursue outdoor activities such as mountain biking, skiing, and camping. 

Matthew Anketell ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ


Matthew grew up in the south east of England. He studied for his undergrad at the University of Cambridge, doing his masters project on the total synthesis of patellazole B in the lab of Professor Ian Paterson. He continued to do his Ph.D. in the Paterson lab, completing the first total synthesis of the actinoallolide family of antiparasitic polyketide natural products. He has many hobbies including reading literature, hiking, birdwatching, cooking and programming.  

Bara Singgh ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ


Bara is an Indian native who hails from Punjab. He received his Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Science and Educational Research in Mohali, Punjab, in November 2022, working under the guidance of Dr. Sripada S. V. Ramasastry. His Ph.D. research focused on developing new strategies for synthesizing small and medium-sized rings with an all-carbon quaternary/spiro center based on sulfur ylide and ฯ€-allylpalladium chemistry. In October 2023, Bara joined the Britton lab as a postdoctoral fellow and is currently working on synthesizing bicyclic nucleoside analogues. He enjoys studying literature, going to the gym, and playing cricket.

Guillermo Caballero Garcia ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฝ


Guillermo (nickname Memo) was born and raised in central Mexico. He studied chemistry at the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico, graduating in 2014. He then taught chemistry at the high school level (at the same high school he attended) for one year before starting his Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge. During his Ph.D., in Jonathan Goodman's group, he worked on asymmetric organocatalysis using chiral phosphoric acids and did computational chemistry to explain enantioselectivity outcomes. Memo joined the Britton group in 2021 and he's currently working on the total synthesis of complex molecules. When he is not doing science you can find him at the Jackalopes reading sci-fi novels while enjoying a beer with nice metal music.

Eric Dobias ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ


Eric was born in Pasadena, California and raised in Lexington, Kentucky. He completed his B.Sc in Chemistry from Thomas More University in Crestview Hills, Kentucky while working on the synthesis of mutual prodrug analogues. During his undergraduate studies, he participated in an iREU program at Universitรฉ Toulouse III Paul Sabatier in France, contributing to the synthesis of macrocyclic pyrinophane ligands under the supervision of Prof. Chantal Galaup. In 2019, he then moved to Bloomington, Indiana to pursue his Ph.D. with Prof. Thomas Snaddon where he studied asymmetric cooperative catalysis using ฯ€-allylpalladium. In 2025, Eric joined to Britton group as a postdoctoral fellow and is currently investigating viable replacement groups for Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) for pharmaceuticals/agrochemicals. Outside of lab, Eric's hobbies include working out, rock climbing, disc golf, and baking.

Chelsea Wilson ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ


Chelsea is from North Saanich, BC, and completed her BSc at the University of Victoria. For her honours thesis, she worked with Dr. Fraser Hof, developing a dual-active chromodomain inhibitor for CBX6/8. She then continued with Dr. Hof for her PhD, functionalizing water-soluble pillar[6]arenes for binding pharmaceutical agents. Alongside her PhD work, she continued to develop small-molecule chromodomain inhibitors (this time for CBX7) and completed a research exchange at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany, where she studied stopped-flow kinetics. After finishing her degree, she joined the Britton group in November 2025 to work on the synthesis of nucleoside analogues. Outside the lab, she is an avid runner who enjoys exploring the local trails.

Graduate Students

Tommi Muilu ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ฎ


Tommi was born and raised in the Capital Region of Helsinki, Finland. After finishing the International Baccalaureate (IB) program in Finland, Tommi moved to Scotland where he completed his undergraduate and masters in Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry at the University of St Andrews. After graduating in 2021, Tommi started his PhD degree at SFU and is now working on the synthesis of novel, locked nucleosides. Outside the lab, Tommi enjoys hiking, playing tennis and throwing a frisbee around.

Alan Brooke ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง


Alan completed his B.Sc. in chemistry at Trinity Western University (Langley, BC) in 2022, where under the supervision of Chadron Friesen he helped develop novel methods for the synthesis of fluorine-containing small molecules. As an undergraduate researcher, he worked with the Britton lab in the summers of 2021 and 2022 developing a novel method for the synthesis of ฮฑ-haloaldehydes. In Fall 2022 he began his Ph.D. degree as a graduate member of the Britton group focusing on the same method alongside the synthesis of thionucleosides towards the total synthesis of albomycin delta 2. Outside of the lab, Alan enjoys playing soccer and ultimate frisbee, watching movies, and listening to music. 

Ethan Fung ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ


Ethan was born and raised in Vancouver, B.C where he graduated with a B.Sc. (combined honours biochemistry and chemistry) from UBC. At UBC he discovered a passion for organic chemistry working under professor David Perrin for two years. During his time at UBC, Ethan worked on synthesizing unnatural amino acids for incorporation into potential peptide therapeutics. Afterwards, Ethan joined the Britton lab in 2023 as a Ph.D. student working on the synthesis of carbocyclic nucleosides analogues. Outside of the lab he enjoys playing sports, reading about physics and finance, and is striving to learn the piano.

Megan Schroeder ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ


Megan was born and raised Elm Creek, Manitoba. She later moved to Kelowna, where she completed her Honour's BSc in biochemistry and molecular biology at UBC Okanagan. During this time, she developed a passion for organic synthesis under the supervision of Dr. Frederic Menard, where she worked to synthesize a fluorescent chemical probe for labelling calcium channels in neurons. She joined the lab in September 2024 and is excited to pursue a Ph.D. focused on natural product synthesis. Her work in the Britton lab focuses on the derivatization of the anti-cancer drug candidate, eleutherobin. Outside of the lab, she enjoys playing sports, reading and hiking.

Breanna Taylor ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ


Breanna was raised in Amherst, Nova Scotia, and later moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia to attend Dalhousie University. At Dalhousie, Breanna received her BSc Honours in Chemistry while under the supervision of Dr. Alison Thompson where she synthesized molecules with pyrrolic frameworks, such as BODIPY dyes. At SFU, Breanna is involved with the total synthesis and derivatization of natural products, such as salarin C. Outside of the lab, Breanna enjoys spending her time painting, reading historical fiction and working out. 

Ulises Vargas Cruz ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฝ


Ulises was born and raised in Toluca, Mรฉxico. In 2024, he received his degree in chemistry from the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico. During his degree, he discovered his passion for organic chemistry and had the opportunity to work on nitrene cyclization for the synthesis of fused heterocycles under the supervision of Dr. Moises Romero. Ulises joined the Britton lab in September 2024 as a Ph.D. student researching photochemical C-H fluorination using decatungstate. Outside the lab, Ulises enjoys watching movies and hiking.


Tim Menna ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ


Tim was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario. He completed his undergrad in 2024 at the University of Western Ontario studying under Dr. Micheal Kerr. During his time at Western, he worked on synthetic methodologies for donor-acceptor cyclopropanes as well as some short step syntheses. Having joined the Britton Group in 2025, he began working on carbafucose analogues as fucosyltransferase inhibitors. He is now working towards a formyl synthesis of eribulin via a serendipitously discovered rearrangement. Outside the lab, Tim enjoys hockey, golf, and video games. Also Tim does not plan on becoming a Canucks fan, he will always be a Leafs fan!

Peter Palermo ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ


Peter was born in Mississauga Ontario, where he completed his BSc in honours Biochemistry at the University of Waterloo and gained a keen interest in organic chemistry under Professor Graham Murphy. Through a USRA, he studied the synthesis of radiolabeled Hoesch dye for DNA/RNA aptamers and later completed his undergraduate thesis with Professor Michael J. Chong developing methodology for the synthesis of Pyrethrin natural product analogues. Peter started his PhD at SFU in September 2025, studying methodology for the total synthesis of eribulin. Outside of the lab he enjoys reading, hiking and all kinds of nerdy interests.

James Song ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ


James was born and raised in Beijing, China. He completed his BSc (Honours) in Chemistry under the supervision of Dr. Mark Lautens, where he worked on Rh/Ni dual-metal catalysis. He joined the Britton group in August 2026 to pursue a PhD in the total synthesis of complex natural product. Outside the lab, he enjoys reading history and science fiction, playing the electric bass, and working out. He also, admittedly, spends a great deal of time in front of a screen, frustrated over video games. 


Cassandra Sgarbi ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ


Cassandra was raised in Richmond, B.C., and completed her B.Sc. Combined Honours in Chemical Biology at UBC. During her undergraduate studies, she worked under the guidance of Dr. David Perrin, where she focused on the synthesis of unnatural amino acids and the total synthesis of peptide natural products. Cassandra joined the Britton lab in 2026 as a Ph.D. student, where she is currently working on the synthesis of iminonucleoside analogues. Outside of the lab, Cassandra enjoys staying active, drinking tea, and exploring new and exciting hobbies.

Sam Rommel ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ


Sam hails from colourful Colorado, where he attended the University of Denver, completing his B.Sc. in Chemistry with distinction. While at the University of Denver, Sam conducted research under the supervision of Dr. Brian Michel, where his work focused on using organometallic catalysts for ethylene detection. Sam joined the Britton Lab in the fall of 2026, where he is currently working on optimizing the cyclization of RAvIN ketones to produce nucleoside analogues. In his free time, Sam enjoys mountain biking, ski touring, hiking, and all things outdoors. He is excited to explore all that British Columbia has to offer!