about the p.i. – joya a. cooley

Bio: Dr. Joya A. Cooley double-majored in music (B.A.) and chemistry (B.S.) at Furman University in Greenville, SC. After graduating, she pursued a Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry under the direction of Prof. Susan Kauzlarich at The University of California, Davis, studying the synthesis, characterization, and structure of solid materials towards thermoelectric applications. After earning her Ph.D., she completed postdoctoral work with Prof. Ram Seshadri designing, synthesizing, and characterizing magnetocaloric materials. In the Fall of 2020, she began her independent career in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at California State University, Fullerton.
Email: jcooley [at] fullerton.edu
Hometown: Irmo, SC
Fun Fact: I love live music and have seen my favorite band, Less Than Jake, in concert 39 times.
​Download a current CV here.

current group members

manuel berumen, '24
​Project: Cool pigments
Major: Chemistry
Hometown: Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Fun Fact: Outside of school, I like to work out, eat lots of food, and listen to podcasts

alice dang, '25
​Project: Negative thermal expansion materials
Major: Biohemistry
Hometown: Hue, Vietnam
Fun Fact: Despite spending eight years living next to the beach, I never had the chance to learn how to swim​

karen gomez, '25
​Project: Negative thermal expansion materials
Major: Biochemistry
Hometown: Anaheim, CA
Fun Fact: : I love plants! I buy a new plant every month and have been doing so since 2020. I now have a variety of plants that I tend to every week. ​

sophie windover, '24
​Project: Negative thermal expansion materials
Major: Chemistry
Hometown: Santa Clarita, CA
Fun Fact: I work for the Center of Educational Partnerships at CSUF as a tutor and peer mentor.

charles iyare, jr, '24
​Project: Negative thermal expansion materials
Major: Biochemistry
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Fun Fact: I enjoy traveling on my free time to new places. I have been to 5/7 continents.

jessa matthews, '24
​Project: Cool pigments
Major: Biochemistry
Hometown: Irvine, CA
Fun Fact: I used to sing opera throughout my highschool years until I developed an interest in science. 

charles nava, '24
​Project: Cool pigments
Major: Chemistry
Hometown: Santa Ana, CA
Fun Fact: I am extremely scared of road tripping, but I love the destinations.

edgar viveros, '24
​Project: Negative thermal expansion
Major: Chemistry
Hometown: Fullerton, CA
Fun Fact: I love traveling to Mexico to visit my family

group alumni

mykayla miller, '23
riti paul, UCSD '24
omar salem, '24
erica esteban, '23
uyen lam, '23
rosaria magal, '23
garrett mahler, '23
gennesis gonzalez-rodriguez, '23
carolina avalos, '22
jasmine garcia, '22
​dayana flores, cal poly pomona '24 
kyle currier, '22 
trevor jost, '22
​maureen sison, '22 
linh nguyen, '21
sam adler, '22 
carolina avalos, '22