Rocky Lowenthal
Undergraduate Student
About Rocky
Having researched turkey tail fungi since 2019, Rocky has followed the colorful mushroom across the fields of cancer biology, developmental biology, and (now) organic chemistry. They have gained an appreciation for a variety of methodologies and really enjoy working at the intersections of biology, chemistry, and physics. Though focused on a single species in lab, Rocky is also broadly interested in mycology and enjoys foraging when the weather allows (though it may seem counterintuitive, you’ll have to trust that nice weather is especially important if you are hiking through a swamp).
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Outside of lab, Rocky enjoys playing with their cat, who they are trying to leash train. Progress has been limited in that regard but Rocky would be more than happy to share pictures upon request.
Education
B.S. Chemistry, University of Chicago, 2026
Favorite Paper
Feynman, RP. “The Development of the Space-Time View of Quantum Electrodynamics.” California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California; Nobel Lecture, December 11, 1965.
If you could be a piece of lab equipment, what would you be?
A lab microwave—not a fancy one, just the kind that originated as a normal microwave and then was relegated to only drying microscope slides.
Rocky's Research
In collaboration with the Snyder Lab, Rocky currently researches the small molecules of Trametes versicolor (turkey tail fungi) in an effort to identify those with anticancer properties. Their methods involve bioactivity-guided extraction, separation, and purification of the compounds followed by characterization through mass spectrometry and NMR.