Rana Abdu and Manuraj Kallumkal named Merck Next Gen Leaders in Chemistry
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (7/11/2025) – Chemistry PhD students Rana Abdu and Manuraj Kallumkal have been named 2025 Merck Next Gen Leaders in Chemistry. The award recognizes outstanding research achievements by graduate students in chemistry.
Rana Abdu earned her Bachelor’s degree at Colorado College before joining the University of Minnesota in Fall 2022. As a member of the Roberts group, Abdu uses inorganic and organometallic chemistry techniques to solve challenges in organic chemistry. “I am currently working on using rare earth metal complexes bearing a redox–active ligand to enable reactivity that is challenging to do with late transition metals such as alkyl–alkyl cross–coupling,” she says. She is currently working to expand the utility of d0 metal complexes bearing redox–active ligands beyond alkyl–alkyl cross–coupling. “I am hoping to do this through systematic ligand design and some new organometallic strategies that we have yet to invoke with these complexes,” she says.
When she’s not in the lab, Abdu serves the chemistry community through Chemistry Women in Science and Engineering (WISE), of which she is President, and through the UMN student chapter of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE), of which she is the Vice President. She is also a member of the Graduate Student Workshop Committee, which hosts professional development workshops for the Chemistry graduate student body. “Being a part of student groups has definitely been a highlight of my time in grad school and I am excited to continue being a part of these groups,” she says. In her personal life, Abdu is also currently training to run her first ever marathon race.
Manuraj Kallumkal joined the Bailey group in Fall 2022 after completing his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Chemistry at Mahatma Gandhi University in Kottayam, India. “My main research focus is on Atomically Precise Multimetallic Clusters,” he says. “I work on understanding the molecular-level chemistry of well-defined copper-chalcogenide nanoclusters and utilize them as dynamically flexible models of catalytically active sites to study small molecule activation and reduction catalysis.” This fundamental study at the atomic level will enable us to understand the molecular chemistry at the reactive site and develop design principles for next-generation catalysts.
Outside of the lab, Kallumkal is on the leadership team for the Queer Science student group. Through Queer Science, he helps organize the annual Queer Science Day and other outreach events throughout the semester that aim to foster scientific curiosity in high school students. He also serves the community as a member of UMN Joint Safety Team Community Connections Committee and a Sci-Mentor at the MPS Center for Adult Learning. As he looks towards the future, Kallumkal says he is excited to continue being part of and contributing to the community, while also working on his professional and career development. He looks forward to attending upcoming conferences, building connections, and extending networks with industries. “As a rising 4th year, I'm constantly working on establishing my research more and contributing to the scientific community by communicating the science we learnt through this research,” he says.
The Merck Next Gen Leaders in Chemistry Award grants awardees Merck mentorship and networking opportunities, invitations to career development sessions throughout the award year, and travel and accommodation for the 2025 Award Symposium at Merck in Rahway, New Jersey. To learn more, visit the Merck website.