Posted on July 10, 2026 by College of Sciences
#AwesomeAlum
Zachary Lucio
By Christina Calvo
"Follow your passions." Zachary Lucio, a recent chemistry PhD graduate from UT San Antonio, took this advice and never looked back.
After earning a dual bachelor's degree in chemistry and history from UT Austin, Zachary was faced with a crossroads and looked to UT San Antonio.
"One of my longtime friends received her master's degree here at UT San Antonio, which is how I found out about the department and the program. I matriculated at UT San Antonio in Fall of 2021 as a graduate student in the Department of Chemistry."
During his time at UT San Antonio, Zachary was greatly involved in the community. His most prominent role was serving as the Chemistry Graduate Student Organization's President. He served on the Ph.D. Advisory Committee giving feedback to the dean of graduate school on how to improve and develop the graduate programs at UT San Antonio. Additionally, he taught courses as a graduate teaching assistant from general chemistry to an instrumental analysis lab for undergraduate seniors.
Zachary's most recognized for his work with Waldemar Gorski, PhD, professor of Chemistry. Zachary has published four papers while earning his PhD. He has been published in academic journals such as Biosensors and Bioelectronics, Talanta, and the Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry.
"My research was on electrochemical materials and assays for the determination of human disease markers," said Zachary. "We devised strategies employing the glucose test strip to detect analytes other than glucose."
Analytes are specific chemical substances, ions, or biological molecules that are identified by measuring electrical signals produced by their oxidation or reduction. They are the target molecules such as glucose in blood and monitoring the activity of enzymes.
Through his leadership and teaching experience, Zachary had the opportunity to mentor several undergraduate researchers.
"In my experience, UT San Antonio produces exceptional researchers. We have such accessible faculty and a collaborative atmosphere that encourages undergraduates to join research labs. In doing so, they obtain broad expertise that prepares them for their future studies," Zachary said.
Now with a PhD in chemistry, Zachary's next step is law school at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Zachary always had an interest in law and chemistry. He has decided to follow both passions. His plan after law school is to use his science background to work in intellectual property (IP) law.
"I would like to practice in a field that melds both of my interests." said Zachary. "IP law does just that. The fact that so many emerging technologies involve batteries and sensors, which both broadly intersect with the field of electrochemistry, is what I would call serendipity."
Zachary's advice to new and continuing scientists is a lesson he learned from his UT San Antonio mentor, Gorski: capitalize on the obstacles you face.
"I have appreciated learning the art of accepting failure, unanticipated outcomes, and other obstacles as opportunities to improve with an enthusiastic and determined attitude."
— College of Sciences
Explore the Chemistry Department!
Promoting scientific literacy through creative research and advances in education, including collaborations within and beyond the university. Students have access to strong research programs, state-of-the-art resources, and competitive financial support.
Recent Chemistry Spotlights
View More Spotlights
