Alexander Knieb received his B.Sc. in Chemistry in 2018 from the University of Münster, Germany, where he conducted undergraduate research under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Fabian Dielmann on electron-rich bipyridines for the activation of small molecules. In the fall of 2020, he began his Ph.D. studies at the Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute at the University of Southern California under George A. and Judith A. Olah Nobel Laureate Chair Prof. G. K. Surya Prakash. His doctoral research centered around the development of novel fluoroalkylation methodologies and design of synthetic routes for accessing small molecules of pharmaceutical interest. In April 2025, he joined our group at UTMB as a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, and the Center for Addiction Sciences and Therapeutics. His current work focuses on the development of novel therapeutics designed to selectively target and activate G protein-coupled dopamine receptors D2R and D3R. 

Cadell Green is a graduate student in the Pharmacology and Toxicology program at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), conducting research under the mentorship of Dr. Alessandro Bonifazi. His work focuses on neuropharmacology and preclinical drug discovery, with particular emphasis on orexin receptor modulators, and the characterization of novel therapeutic compounds. He has completed comprehensive training in BSL-2 laboratory biosafety, chemical handling, and radiation safety, supporting interdisciplinary projects in medicinal chemistry and pharmacological assay development. With a background bridging public health and basic medical sciences, Cadell is committed to advancing neuroscience research aimed at understanding central nervous system disorders and identifying innovative therapeutic strategies. 

Federica Matteucci is a visiting PhD student at UTMB from the University of Camerino (Italy). She has been an intern in the laboratory of prof. Chris Meier at the University of Hamburg (Germany) in September 2020 and in the laboratory of prof. Serge Van Calenbergh at the University of Ghent (Belgium) from October 2021 to February 2022. She graduated in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology at the University of Camerino in 2022 with an experimental thesis entitled “Synthesis of novel purine-based nucleosides as CD73 inhibitors for potential cancer immunotherapeutics”. Currently she is a PhD student in Medicinal Chemistry at Chemistry Interdisciplinary Project (ChIP) of the University of Camerino (Italy), in the laboratories of prof. Riccardo Petrelli and prof. Fabio Del Bello. In July 2023, Federica obtained her Second Level Master’s Degree at the Scuola di Studi Superiori “Carlo Urbani” of the University of Camerino, with an experimental thesis entitled “Conformationally restricted NAD-mimics as discriminant inhibitors of Human NMN-Adenylyltransferase isozymes: synthesis and biological evaluation”. During her period spent at UTMB, Federica is focusing on a Medicinal Chemistry research project on the synthesis and biological evaluation of new dopamine D4 receptor antagonists, under the supervision of prof. Alessandro Bonifazi.