Sydney received her B.A. in chemistry and physics from Bluffton University in the spring of 2021. During her time at Bluffton, she worked as a teaching assistant and served as a tutor for general chemistry, organic chemistry, and college physics. During the summer of 2020, she interned with AbbVie where she worked on two SAR projects focusing on treating leishmaniasis and COVID-19. In her free time, Sydney enjoys reading, knitting and crocheting, dominating at pickleball, and playing video games.


Sydney joined the Tepe lab in the fall of 2021, and her current research focuses on developing small molecule enhancers of the 20S proteasome. She’s involved in the synthesis and bio sides of the group where she synthesizes small molecules and then evaluates them in purified and cellular assays for 20S proteasome activity.