Student Spotlight: Max Michael Romero Washington

Published Sep 01, 2026 by
Filed under:

ECU senior Max Washington serves as an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (UTA) in the organic chemistry CURE labs.

MY STORY​

What inspired you to study chemistry? ​
I became really interested in chemistry while taking CHEM 1150: General Chemistry I. Learning about chemical bonds in that class really started my interest in chemistry. Taking chemistry in high school, I didn’t have much interest because I didn’t see it in context to basically everything happening around me physically. This class made that connection for me. I was initially intending to major in biology but felt more satisfied trying to understand things at a chemical level

Do you participate in research?
I do research in Dr. Lim’s lab. I’m working on expressing and purifying pathogenic variants of Transthyretin (TTR). These variants of TTR are used for experimentation focused on understanding the underlying mechanisms behind the formation of prefibrillar amyloids.

You serve as an Organic CURE lab UTA.  How did you get involved?
I took Dr. Allen’s CHEM 2753/2763 CURE lab for organic chemistry and really enjoyed the experience. I was offered a position to TA the following year and have had a great time helping students setup reactions and watching them grow in their understanding and appreciation of organic chemistry.

What interests do you have outside of academics? ​
I casually play classical guitar and really enjoy music.

MOTIVATIONS

Career plans after graduation:  I want to get a master’s degree in chemistry.

Dream Job: I am not entirely sure; I would like to use physical biochemistry in some sense to perform research aimed at furthering the understanding of mechanisms behind epigenetic modification. This is a very broad statement and could mean specializing in different fields. Narrowing down on what exactly I’d specialize in is a process I’m looking forward to as well.

Advice to an incoming student: Reach out early if you feel you need extra assistance in understanding a topic; office hours aren’t as intimidating as they may seem.  Be patient with yourself while you define what you want to dedicate yourself to.