The drover group
 The university of windsor, Windsor, ON

AMBASSADOR BRIDGE, WINDSOR, ON

group, summer 2021 (escape room)

Graduate student positions available

merlot - group mascot


Merlot is a French Bulldog who was born in St. John's, Newfoundland (Canada) on February 5, 2015 to Russian parents. For some time, she was on the Canadian dog show scene, but quickly outgrew it. When not "resting", she enjoys being walked or fed. She also loves going for car rides, chewing "cheesy bones", and eating fruitables. She is excited to engage with new students joining the lab!

Postdoctoral TEAM members
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TBA

GRADUATE TEAM memberS:
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Joseph Zurakowski (G1)
BSc Carleton University
zurakowj@uwindsor.ca
Twitter: @jzurakowski1
Ph.D. Student 
Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) Recipient (x2)
NSERC CGS-M Recipient
New Energy Research Prize Awardee

Hello! My name is Joey, and I started in the Drover lab in September 2020! I grew up in Ottawa and completed my B.Sc. in chemistry at Carleton University. My research in the Drover lab is focused on new opportunities in borane appended transition metal complexes. By adding Lewis acidic boranes into the secondary coordination sphere of transition metals, I hope to influence reactivity at the metal center and activate small molecules like CO­2, H2, N2and O2, and study their transformations into value added products. Research is difficult, especially during a pandemic, but it’s the team that makes it all easier. Reach out to me if you’d like to chat about the Drover lab and the research environment here at UWindsor. Outside of research my hobbies include bouldering, reading books (mostly biographies), and eating gluten free food! 
1. Zurakowski, J.A.; Austen, B.J.H.; Dufour, M.C.; Bhattacharyya, M.; Spasyuk, D.M.; Drover, M.W. Dalton Trans. 2021, ASAP. DOI: 10.1039/D1DT02331D

2. Zurakowski, J.A.; Austen, B.J.H.; Drover, M.W. Organometallics 2021, 40, 2450-2457. DOI: 10.1021/acs.organomet.1c00194

3. Zurakowski, J.A.; Bhattacharyya, M.; Spasyuk, D.M.; Drover, M.W.* Inorg. Chem. 2021, 60, 37-41. DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.0c03409
Brady Austen (G1)
BSc University of Windsor
austenb@uwindsor.ca
Twitter: @AustenBrady
M.Sc. Student 

Hello! My name is Brady, and I had the pleasure to start in the Drover lab in September 2020. I come from a small town north of Toronto and came to Windsor to study for my B.Sc. in chemistry. After conducting my honours thesis under Marcus’ supervision, I knew that I wanted to continue doing research with the Drover lab. This is when I decided to continue my schooling and do a masters with the Drover lab. When I’m not in the lab, you can find me playing games with my friends, or outside enjoying the nice days with friends and family.
1. Zurakowski, J.A.; Austen, B.J.H.; Dufour, M.C.; Bhattacharyya, M.; Spasyuk, D.M.; Drover, M.W. Dalton Trans. 2021, ASAP. DOI: 10.1039/D1DT02331D

2. Zurakowski, J.A.; Austen, B.J.H.; Drover, M.W. Organometallics 2021, 40, 2450-2457. DOI: 10.1021/acs.organomet.1c00194
Devon Facchinato (Research Associate)
BSc Cornell University (USA)
Devon.Facchinato@uwindsor.ca
Research Associate

Hi, I’m Devon. I completed my undergraduate degree in Chemistry and Chemical Biological at Cornell University. This is my first research experience so I am looking forward to learning from others in the lab. I like to spend my free time with my family and I also love the outdoors. 

UNDERGRADUATE TEAM members:
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Mitchell Demchuk (U4)
demchukm@uwindsor.ca
C4900 Honors Student

Hi, my name is Mitchell. I am in my fourth year of Honours Chemistry here at the University of Windsor. I am also minoring in biology, as I was a biochemistry major for my first two years. I will be doing my undergraduate thesis with the Drover group and am very excited to see how my project will unfold. On my free time I enjoy playing sports, reading books, playing games, and hanging out with friends. ​
Harvey Sharma (U3)
sharm18o@uwindsor.ca
Windsor IGNITE student

Jacy Morneau (U3)
morneau5@uwindsor.ca
Windsor IGNITE student

Kasey Brown (U3)
brown191@uwindsor.ca​
UWindsor Outstanding Scholar

Hi, I’m Kasey. I am a third year undergraduate student in the honours chemistry program. I am very passionate about the environment and animals.  As such, I am considering minoring in environmental and earth science in the future.  In my free time, I enjoy sketching, watching comedy movies, and spending time with my pets, family, and friends!
Paola Flores (U4)
noriega@uwindsor.ca​
Junior Research Assistant
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Hi, I'm Paola. I am currently studying Biochemistry and have become recently interested in the Chemistry portion of the program. I am too curious for my own good and live in my head. In my spare time, I like to watch films or practice skills like photography and drawing. I'm hoping to go into research or continue my studies with a Masters program. But, who knows? There is still so much I don't know about.

FORMER TEAM members:
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Postdoctoral Fellows:
  • Dr. Moulika Bhattacharyya, 2020-2021​ (Publications: IC 2021 and DT 2021)
Undergraduates:
  • Maeve Dufour, IGNITE Scholar, 2020-2021 (Publications: CEJ 2020, DT 2020, DT 2021, ChemRXiv 2021) - Current: Darvesh Laboratory, Dalhousie University
  • Lindsay Lesperance-Nantau, IGNITE Scholar, 2020-2021 (Publications: CEJ 2020 and DT 2020) - Current: Graduate Student in Carmichael Laboratory
  • Kyle Pearcy, Volunteer 2020 - Current: Environmental Technician 

POSITIONS

We are interested in working with driven and excited co-workers who have an interest in synthesis, including organic and inorganic chemistry. Individual projects will be tailored to the interests of students, but will involve the use of organotransition metal or main-group chemistry to develop molecules, whose properties can be leveraged for exciting and new science!

Please do not hesitate to contact me via e-mail: marcus.drover@uwindsor.ca (for more information, please see my contact page). 

DROVER GROUP OFFICE SPACE


​Graduate students

We are always looking for interested graduate students at the M.Sc. or Ph.D. level of study. Candidates with research experience will be preferred. If interested, please e-mail Marcus a copy of your CV (including the names of 2 potential referees), a transcript (unofficial is OK), and a brief summary about yourself including interests. ​
NSERC (Canadian): http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Students-Etudiants/PG-CS/index_eng.asp
Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS): http://www.uwindsor.ca/education/scholarships-awards/ogs
Mitacs (All): https://www.mitacs.ca/en/programs/accelerate
Mitacs (International): https://www.mitacs.ca/en/programs/globalink/globalink-graduate-fellowship
Vanier (All): http://www.vanier.gc.ca/en/home-accueil.html
Fullbright (American): http://www.fulbright.ca/programs/american-students.html

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​underGraduate students

NSERC USRA: http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Students-Etudiants/UG-PC/USRA-BRPC_eng.asp
Windsor: Undergraduate Summer Research Scholarship: http://www1.uwindsor.ca/chemistry/scholarship-awards
ICE Program: https://www.ryerson.ca/ice/
RISE Program: http://www.risecanada.ca


​POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS

Currently, we do not have funds to support PDFs. With that said, there are numerous opportunities for external funding. For appropriately credentialled individuals, Marcus would be happy to lend support for application development. Available avenues include:
NSERC PDF: http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Students-Etudiants/PD-NP/PDF-BP_eng.asp
Banting: http://banting.fellowships-bourses.gc.ca/en/home-accueil.html
Mitacs (All): https://www.mitacs.ca/en/programs/accelerate#postdoc
Mitacs (Chinese): https://www.mitacs.ca/en/programs/globalink/come-to-canada/early-career-fellowship-china
Fullbright (American): http://www.fulbright.ca/programs/american-scholars.html