Makeda Tekle-Smith is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Columbia University. She obtained her B.A. in chemistry at Pomona College in 2014. As an undergraduate, she investigated new anti-malarial compounds with Prof. Cynthia Selassie. She then obtained her Ph.D. with Prof. James Leighton at Columbia University in 2019. There she developed new methods to construct asymmetric C(sp3)–C(sp3) bonds and applied these technologies to the total synthesis of non-aromatic polyketide natural products. Makeda then went on to conduct her postdoctoral research with Prof. Abigail Doyle first at Princeton University and then at the University of California Los Angeles. Makeda’s postdoctoral work focused on generating and harnessing reactive radical intermediates through photoredox catalysis to unveil new reactivity platforms. Makeda began her independent career at Columbia University in 2022. Her research program is working to develop novel and practical strategies for controlling selectivity in chemical reactions.