WSU Chemistry welcomes new senior lecturers

The Department of Chemistry welcomes new senior lecturers Nancy Wu, Sean Hickey and Dajena Tomco.

Nancy Wu

Senior Lecturer Nancy Wu comes to WSU from the University of Michigan, where she earned her Ph.D. in chemical biology. Her doctoral research was in RNA enzymology, specifically in elucidating the kinetic mechanism and inhibition of protein-only ribonuclease P.

Wu received postdoctoral training in chemical education research at the University of Michigan. As a postdoctoral fellow, she was the instructor for general and organic chemistry lab courses.

Wu was born and raised in San Francisco, where her curiosity in chemistry first began in high school. She completed a B.S. in chemistry at UCLA. As a California native, Wu has a love for the outdoors and tries to go hiking or camping whenever she is able. She looks forward to contributing to and learning from the community of educators and students at Wayne State.

Sean Hickey

The Department of Chemistry welcomes Sean Hickey, Ph.D., as a new senior lecturer. Hickey completed his M.S. in organic chemistry at the University of Michigan.

Hickey is originally from Slidell, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans. He received his B.S. in chemistry from the University of New Orleans. In 2001, he took a position as an instructor and manager at the University of New Orleans, serving as the undergraduate coordinator. In 2014, Hickey took a position as a product designer for Wiley Publishing.

Also in 2014, Hickey began his Ph.D. studies in chemical education at UNO. In 2017, he took a position as an organic chemistry lecturer at Xavier University of Louisiana.

At Wayne State, Hickey will initially teach and modify the organic chemistry 1 and 2 lab sequence. He is excited about the opportunities for performing chemical education research focusing on the scholarship of teaching organic chemistry.

Dajena Tomco

Dajena Tomco recalls playing "classroom" with friends growing up in Albania, teaching subjects like literature, history and science. At 18, she came to the United States to pursue higher education and seek new opportunities.

Dajena began her college career at Macomb Community College in Clinton Township, Michigan, taking English as a second language course. Tomco then transferred to Wayne State University, where she completed her bachelor's in chemistry. Tomco earned her doctoral degree in inorganic chemistry in Wayne State's chemistry department.

Upon completion of her graduate work, Dajena joined Marygrove College in Detroit as an assistant professor of chemistry, where she worked with a student population that consisted of diverse cultural, racial and social-economic backgrounds. A majority of her students were the first in their families to attend college.

Tomco said she is delighted to rejoin the department and happy to be teaching at her alma mater. "Wayne State is in the heart of Detroit, where students from all backgrounds are offered a rich, high-quality education - I know that I was!"