Chemistry Personnel

John Russell - was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and grew up outside the city in the small town of Arnprior, Ontario. He attended the University of Toronto, where he obtained his B.Sc. in Chemistry in 2020. John spent two years doing research in the laboratories of Professors Robert Morris and Douglas Stephan. In the Morris lab, John researched the reactivity of complexes bearing ligands designed from a novel phosphonium dimer, Acetaldehyde, 2-(Diphenylphosphino)-Phenyl Phosphonium Dimer. During his time in the Stephan group, he investigated Cyclic Aryl Amido Carbenes as potential Lewis bases in frustrated Lewis pair chemistry. In addition to his research, John successfully launched his own Chemistry themed start-up called SoluSave in 2019. SoluSave is a company that aims to reduce chemical waste generated in laboratories and in a like manner make laboratories more sustainable. In September 2020, John started his graduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania. He joined the Mindiola group where he is researching transition metal-catalyzed reactions targeting cyclic polymer formation. In John's spare time he likes going for runs, playing sports, or yelling at sports teams on the TV screen.