About MWD

The drover group
WESTERN UNIVERSITY, LONDON, ON

BIOGRAPHY

Marcus was born in St. John's, Newfoundland (Canada), and began his journey in chemistry at Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN), earning a B.Sc. (Hons.) in 2012 under the supervision of Prof. Francesca M. Kerton. His undergraduate research focused on main group coordination chemistry with applications in green polymer science.

He went on to complete his Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 2016, working under the co-supervision of Profs. Laurel L. Schafer and Jennifer A. Love. As an NSERC Vanier Scholar, Marcus explored the organometallic chemistry of N,O-chelated Group 9 transition metals, developing new reactions aimed at synthesizing phosphorus-containing agrochemicals. During his Ph.D., he also served as a Michael Smith Visiting Scholar at the University of Oxford, collaborating with Prof. Andrew S. Weller on amine-borane chemistry. His doctoral work earned him the 2016 Canadian Institute for Chemistry’s Inorganic Division Award for Graduate Research (AGWIC).

In 2017, Marcus began as a joint Resnick Prize Fellowship in Sustainability Science and an NSERC Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), working with Prof. Jonas C. Peters on the synthesis of novel open-shell iron compounds for proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET).

Marcus launched his independent academic career on July 1, 2019, as an Assistant Professor at the University of Windsor. In 2023, he and his research team relocated to Western University in London, Ontario. On July 1, 2025, Marcus was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure.

Throughout his career, Marcus has received numerous accolades. In 2020, he was awarded the prestigious John C. Polanyi Prize in Chemistry in recognition of his contributions as an early-career researcher in Ontario and in 2024, received a competitive Ontario Early Researcher Award. In 2021, he received awards for Outstanding Community Engagement, Knowledge Transfer, and Knowledge Mobilization Award and the Faculty of Science’s Outreach and Engagement Award, in part for his leadership in the Global Inorganic Discussion Weekdays (GIDW) symposium series. In 2025, Marcus was awarded the Department of Chemistry Excellence in Research Award, an annual honour given to one faculty member for outstanding contributions to scientific research.

In 2023, Marcus joined the Editorial Advisory Boards of Organometallics (ACS) and the Journal of Coordination Chemistry (Taylor & Francis) and in 2024, was appointed to the Early Career Advisory Boards (ECABs) of JACS Au and Inorganic Chemistry Frontiers (RSC).

Outside the lab, Marcus enjoys board games, bowling, exploring new food, and traveling with his wife, Nicole and daughter, Emmy.

**Selected for an Angewandte "Introducing" Profile DOI: 10.1002/anie.202501753

APPOINTMENT

Western University, London, ON (CAN)
Associate Professor (July 1, 2025 - )
Assistant Professor (July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2025)

University of Windsor, Windsor, ON (CAN)
Adjunct Professor (July 1, 2023 - June 30 2025)
Assistant Professor (July 1, 2019 - June 30 2023)

education

The California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California (USA)
NSERC Banting & Resnick Postdoctoral Fellow in Sustainability Science, 2017-2019
Advisor: Prof. Jonas C. Peters

The University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver, BC (CAN)
Ph.D., Chemistry (NSERC Vanier Scholar), 2012-2016
Advisors: Profs. Laurel L. Schafer and Jennifer A. Love
Thesis title: 1,3-N,O-Chelated complexes of rhodium and iridium: harnessing metal-ligand cooperativity for bond activation processes DOI: 10.14288/1.0340548

The University of Oxford, Oxford, England (UK)
NSERC Michael Smith Visiting Scholar (MSFSS), 2014
Advisor: Prof. Andrew S. Weller

Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL (CAN)
B.Sc. (Hons.), 2008-2012
Advisor: Prof. Francesca M. Kerton

EDITORIAL ACTIVITIES

2024 Early Career Advisory Board (ECAB), Inorganic Chemistry Frontiers (2024-2026)
2024 Early Career Advisory Board (ECAB), JACS Au (2024-2025)
2023 Editorial Board Member, Journal of Coordination Chemistry (2023-2026)
2023 Editorial Advisory Board, Organometallics (2023-2026)
2022 Youth Editorial Board, Chemical Synthesis (2022-2024)

Selected awards & Honours

2025 Western University, Department of Chemistry Research Award of Excellence
2024 Govt. of Ontario, Early Researcher Award (ERA-R19)
2024 Elsevier, Polyhedron, Emerging Investigator in Inorganic Chemistry
2023 Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), Chemical Communications, Emerging Investigator
2023 Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), RSC Advances, Emerging Investigator
2023 American Chemical Society (ACS), ACS Organic Inorganic Au, 2023 Rising Star in Organic & Inorganic Chemistry
2022 Wiley, European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry, "EurJIC Talent"
2022 Taylor & Francis, Journal of Coordination Chemistry, Emerging Leader in Coordination Chemistry
2022 Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), Chemical Society Reviews, Emerging Investigator
2021 UWindsor Outstanding Community Engagement, Knowledge Transfer & Knowledge Mobilization Award
2021 UWindsor Faculty of Science Outreach and Engagement Award
2020 John C. Polanyi Prize in Chemistry
2020 Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), Dalton Transactions, New Talents: Americas
2019 UWindsor Office of Human Rights, Equity & Accessibility (OHREA) Award (Team Award for Organizing LGBTQ+ Conf.)
2017 NSERC Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship
2017 NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship (PDF)
2017 Resnick Postdoctoral Prize Fellowship in Sustainability Science
2016 CSC Award for Graduate Work in Inorganic Chemistry (AGWIC)
2015 Dr. Arnold By Travel Fellowship
2014 UBC Graduate Student International Research Mobility Award
2013 NSERC Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplement
2013 NSERC Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship
2013 NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship (CGS-D3)
2012 Gladys Estella Laird Research Fellowship
2012 UBC Four Year Fellowship (FYF)
2012 NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship (CGS-M)
2012 Sepracor Award
2012 The Society of Chemical Industry Merit Award
2012 University Medal for Academic Excellence in Chemistry
2012 Lou Visentin Award
2012 NSERC-USRA
2011 Canadian Society for Chemistry (CSC) Silver Medal
2011 Dr. H.J. Anderson Memorial Scholarship
2011 NSERC-USRA
2011 Dr. Douglas L. Cooper Memorial Scholarship
2011 C.D. Howe Memorial Scholarship
2010 Jeanne F. Sanger Memorial Scholarship
2009 Robert Gillespie-Reid Memorial Scholarship
2008 Governor-General’s Bronze Medal for Academic Excellence

The drover group WESTERN UNIVERSITY, LONDON, ON

BIOGRAPHY

APPOINTMENT

education​

EDITORIAL ACTIVITIES​

Selected awards & Honours​

The drover group
WESTERN UNIVERSITY, LONDON, ON

education

EDITORIAL ACTIVITIES

Selected awards & Honours