Lucas Leinen

I was born and raised in South Dakota and I am a first generation senior majoring in Physical Science (with a concentration in Chemistry) at Dakota State University. I have been passionate about anything and everything relating to scientific discovery since I can remember. My academic studies at DSU are broadly focused in chemistry, and I consider myself super fortunate to be working on such extremely interdisciplinary scientific research projects that address important scientific questions at the frontiers of several fields, including environmental organic, analytical and prebiotic chemistry, and microbiology. After graduation, I plan to pursue a PhD in bioorganic chemistry. As I am also quite eager to expand my cultural horizons, I hope to complete my PhD studies in Europe, with German and Swiss programs topping my list of desired graduate study locales. I am ultimately motivated to bring my passions for scientific investigation to bear on the betterment of the human condition, likely through the synthesis and characterization of powerful new drug molecules for combating humanity’s most devastating diseases.

September 2016