Associate Professor (2025 – present)
Assistant Professor (2017 – 2025)
Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Rutgers University (New Brunswick); Email: ml1353@rutgers.edu

Mark hails from Buffalo, NY and completed a BS in chemistry (2008) at Case Western Reserve University. He then left the shores of Lake Erie for the San Francisco Bay, earning his PhD (2013) with Don Tilley at UC Berkeley studying complexes of transition metals and main-group compounds. Mark moved on to studying redox-active molecular machines as a postdoc with Fraser Stoddart (Northwestern University) before starting his independent career at Rutgers. His current research combines his backgrounds in transition metal chemistry, catalysis, and molecular nanotechnology.

See “Alumni & Past Members” at the bottom of the page for a list of former postdocs.

Iram Fatima Mansoor
6th year (started 2020): Email: ifm8@scarletmail.rutgers.edu

Iram is from Queens, NY where she completed her K-12 education in a small Islamic school. She earned her BA in chemistry at Rutgers in 2020, where she joined the Lipke Group to study how viologen-like redox-active ligands affect the electronic properties of transition metal complexes. Iram enjoyed this work enough to continue on in the group, earning an NSF graduate fellowship along the way. Iram spends much of her free time with her family and 50+ cousins. She also prides herself in introducing her fellow researchers to Pakistani cuisine (which they much appreciate!).

Brice J. Kessler
6th year (started 2020); Email: bjk145@chem.rutgers.edu

Brice is from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and graduated from Muhlenberg College with a BS in Chemistry in 2020. At Muhlenberg, Brice examined the ability of chiral tungsten complexes to mediate enantioselective dearomatization reactions. Enticed by the many possibilities of d-block chemistry, Brice pursued graduate studies at Rutgers, joining the Lipke lab in the Summer of 2020 to study the unusual electronic properties of metal complexes with redox-active ligands. Outside of the lab, Brice enjoys competitive swimming, gaming, and spending time with his partner and two cats.

Taro J. Jones
5th year (started 2021); Email: taro.jones@rutgers.edu

Taro was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica. He graduated from Adelphi University in NY in 2020 with a BFA in dance and a minor in chemistry. At Adelphi, Taro studied hypervalent-iodine reactions under the guidance of Dr. I. F. Dempsey Hyatt. Now in the Lipke Group at Rutgers, Taro pursues experimental and computational studies of platinum-linked porphyrin nanocages and their influence on the acid/base properties of encapsulated guests. In his free time, he enjoys volleyball, video games and graphic design.

Zeyu (Bruce) Cao
4th year (started 2022); Email: zc358@chem.rutgers.edu

Bruce is from Youyu, a small town in northern China that, in Bruce’s words “gets ridiculously cold in the winter” (-40° C or F). He graduated from Lanzhou University in 2015, majoring in chemistry, and later earned a master’s degree in chemistry from Stevens Institute of Technology in 2021. After some time working for Fraser Fleming at Drexel University, Bruce joined the Lipke group in spring of 2022 where his research focuses on the electrocatalytic behavior of porous nanocages. Outside of lab, Bruce enjoys spending time with his partner and their rabbit, as well as exploring the national parks of the USA and playing video games.

Peter Catsoulis
2nd year (started 2024); Email: pc449@chem.rutgers.edu

Peter is from East Brunswick, NJ, 10 miles down the road from Rutgers University – New Brunswick. He earned his BA in chemistry at the Newark campus of Rutgers in 2016 where he worked with Dr. Elena Galoppini. He then earned his master’s degree in 2020 from UMass – Boston, working under Dr. Jonathan Rochford. Peter’s undergraduate and master’s research studying Ru, Ir, and Mn complexes led him to pursue doctoral research in inorganic chemistry. He joined the Lipke group in 2024 where he studies how nanoconfined chemical environments affect the properties and activity of molecular electrocatalysts. In his free time, Peter enjoys listening to and playing music (guitar), weightlifting, gaming, and playing Dungeons & Dragons.