Our Team

Senior Scientist and Laboratory Manager
cgcamero@uncg.edu

Colin earned his Ph.D. in Electrochemistry from Memorial University of Newfoundland in 2000. Following a two year postdoc appointment at Caltech, he moved to Halifax, Canada employed as a military research scientist with the Canadian Department of National Defence, where he worked in wide-ranging fields that included material actuation, electrochemical energy storage, anti-corrosion coatings, fuels and lubricants, and non-metallic failures. In 2012 he co-founded a biotech spinoff with Sherri McFarland, designing and engineering medical light devices for clinical photodynamic antimicrobial therapy. In 2016 he returned to his physical chemistry roots when he moved to UNCG to conduct PDT research as a spectroscopy and electrochemistry specialist, and to manage the McFarland laboratories.

Research Associate

Liubov graduated from Saint Petersburg State University (Russia) with a Specialist degree in Chemistry in 2010. She received her Ph.D. degree in Chemistry from the Center for Photochemical Sciences at Bowling Green State University (Ohio) in 2016. Her Ph.D. work focused on the design and synthesis of metal-organic frameworks for photophysical applications. Then she worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Chemistry Department at the University of Houston, conducting research on design and synthesis of transition metal complexes for applications in artificial photosynthesis. She joined the McFarland group in Fall 2018 to work on the synthesis of new PDT agents.

Research Assistant

Patrick graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a BA in Psychology in 2013. He completed the post-baccalaureate program at UNCG and aspires to attend medical school. He joined the McFarland group in Spring 2018 to work in synthesis of PDT agents.

Ph.D. Student

Houston received his B.Sc. in Biochemistry and Chemistry from Campbell University in 2018. He joined the McFarland group in Fall 2018, and his research will be focused on the synthesis of PDT agents.

Ph.D. Student
jaroque@uncg.edu

John was awarded his B.Sc. in Chemistry from the University of Rhode Island in 2016. He joined the McFarland group in Winter 2017, and his current research interests are focused on panchromatic and hypoxia-active photosensitizers for photodynamic applications.

Rachel is an undergraduate student pursuing a degree in Biochemistry with a minor in Spanish. She aspires to attend medical school following graduation.

David is an undergraduate student pursuing a Chemistry degree with a focus on research. Having worked for several years as a pharmacy technician, David is working towards a career in pharmaceutical sciences. He joined the McFarland group in Fall 2018 to work in synthesis and in vitro PDT experiments.

Research Scientist

Susan has been a member of the McFarland group since 2007 and currently manages the Acadia research team. She received her B.Sc. (2008) and M.Sc. (2011) degrees in Chemistry from Acadia University under Prof. McFarland’s direction. Early on she has was heavily involved in extracting, identifying, and testing plant extracts for biological activity in bacteria and cancer cell lines. Susan is also an accomplished synthetic chemist and cell biologist, and is currently making and testing new PDT agents.

Anderson Fuller is an undergraduate student pursuing a Chemistry degree with a minor in Economics. Anderson joined the McFarland group in the winter of 2015. His work involves testing the photophysical properties of metal complexes synthesized as photodynamic therapy agents and probing their interactions with biomolecules such as DNA.

Evan is an undergraduate student pursuing dual degrees in Biochemistry and Economics, and is anticipating attending medical school following graduation. Evan joined the McFarland group in Winter 2017 to support both synthesis and in vitro PDT agent studies.

Katsuya is an undergraduate student majoring in Biochemistry. He has substantial interest in pharmacology and medicinal chemistry. He joined the McFarland group in the Summer of 2017, and is involved in both synthesis and in vitro studies of PDT agents.

Research Associate

Tariq completed a B.Sc. Pharmacy degree at Calicut University (India) in 2009, concentrating on the formulation and pharmacological evaluation of herbal gels. He moved to Canada and completed the Biotechnology Technician course at Centennial College (Toronto) in 2011 before joining the McFarland group to work on the development of Ru(II) polypyridyl complexes. Tariq completed his M.Sc. in Chemistry in 2015, and continues to work in the McFarland group as a synthetic chemist.

Research Associate

Marc has been working in the McFarland group since 2012, and received his B.Sc. in Biology (2014) from Acadia University. His expertise in natural product testing and in vitro testing is now mostly devoted to work in Dr. McFarland’s spin-off company, PhotoDynamic Inc.

Tommy Sparks is a post-baccalaureate student at UNCG and an aspiring Physician Assistant. Before returning to his studies, Tommy had a career as a paramedic during which he worked in both the 911 and medical airlift pre-hospital settings, which he continues to do on a part-time basis. He joined the McFarland group in the spring of 2018 to work in synthesis and in vitro PDT experiments.