Elements of Success is a recurring Chemistry Stories feature in which we profile some of the undergraduates who help make our community such a vibrant hub of learning and research. Through academic excellence, research contributions, and community engagement, these students help shape the future of chemistry at U of T and in the world at large. Today, in the first of our 2025-2026 profiles, we are catching up with Flavia Codreanu.
Bio:
Hi! My name is Flavia Codreanu (she/her), and I’m in my final year as a Pharmaceutical Chemistry specialist at U of T’s St. George campus. I’m part of Victoria College, and outside of the lab I love reading, yoga, and spending time with my dog Nova :)
My research experience includes working at the Acceleration Consortium’s Self Driving Formulation Lab at U of T, co-supervised by Dr. Christine Allen and Dr. Frantz Le Devedec, and my Arts and Science Internship Program (ASIP) placement at the Traverso Lab, affiliated with Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Cambridge, MA.
Are you part of one of the Departmental research groups?
I’m currently part of the Acceleration Consortium, which is a global research initiative based at the University of Toronto that aims to expedite drug and material discovery through the use of automation and machine learning. I recently completed my undergraduate thesis focused on creating a workflow that uses a liquid handling system and machine learning to suggest and produce different polymers for accelerated screening.
How did you first become interested in studying chemistry?
I’ve always been interested in both the natural sciences and healthcare, and pharmaceutical chemistry has allowed me to bring these two interests together. Not only can I study the natural and molecular basis of the world we live in, but I can also use this knowledge to try to improve the lives of others!
Can you remember a time when a fact about chemistry blew your mind?
One chemistry fact that has always amazed me is that ice being less dense than water (an unusual property, since most substances are denser in solid than in liquid form) was integral for life to have evolved on Earth. Floating ice layers insulate oceans, prevent it from completely freezing over, and play a vital role in climate regulation, all thanks to hydrogen bonding and ice’s hexagonal crystalline structure!
What advice would you give new U of T undergraduates considering a chemistry specialty?
Never be afraid to talk to your TAs and professors. I’ve gotten great advice and insight into a variety of chemistry subfields by talking to my TAs, and even received important career advice from my professors. The department is full of people eager to support students, so don’t be intimidated to approach them!
I’ve always been interested in both the natural sciences and healthcare, and pharmaceutical chemistry has allowed me to bring these two interests together. --Flavia Codreanu