Zenkina Group

Dr. Iraklii (Ira) Ebralidze is an instrumental specialist of the Faculty of Science Materials Characterization Facility, Ontario TechU. He provides technical support and operates advanced analytical instrumentation actively participating in the group research. Previously, as a Postdoctoral Fellow of the University of Toronto Scarborough, he was running a collaborative project dealing with carbene metal complexes and their applications in catalysis and detection. 

Yelyzaveta (Lisa) Antsybora first joined the group as an MITACS-2023 summer intern. After graduating from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine in 2024, she commenced her MSc studies in Applied Bioscience within the Zenkina group. Yelyzaveta focuses mostly on the development of novel colorimetric and fluorometric metal ion sensors. 

Marjan Saedi joined the group in 2023 as a as co-supervised (with Prof. Easton) Ph.D. student. She works on a project centered on the development of smart molecularly defined hybrid catalytic materials for energy application. 

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During her  PhD project started in 2024, Ghazaleh Donyapeyma develops and improves functional electrochromic heterometallic supramolecular polymers. Ghazaleh is co-supervised with Prof. Easton.

Salma Jadali joined our group in 2024 as a co-supervised (with Prof. Easton) PhD candidate working on the development of materials that have both energy storage and electrochromic properties. She modifies various substrates by electrochemical methods and employs organometallic structures as promising candidates for this modification.  

After graduating (Hons.) from Trent University in 2022, Nathalie Mapue joined the Zenkina group as co-supervised (with Prof. Easton) MSc student. Nathalie Mapue develops novel ligands for advanced electrochromic devices.

Cordelia Adams joined the Zenkina group in 2024 as a 3rd year undergraduate student doing the laboratory techniques course. The goal for her project is to synthesize and characterize a range of coumarins, which will be used as precursors for colorimetric and fluorometric sensors for metal ions. 

Dr. Reza Alipour Moghadam Esfahani received his PhD degree from Politecnico di Torino. He joined the lab as Research Postdoctoral Fellow in 2020 and worked in the area of electrocatalysis and electrobiosensing. 

Dr. Ali Nemati received his PhD from University of Tehran. In 2022-2023, he worked in the Zenkina Lab as a Research Associate in the field of hybrid antimicrobial materials, as well as electrochromic devices and energy storage. 

During her undergrad (2014-2015) and direct PhD studies (2016-2021), Nadia Laschuk was developing pathways for the synthesis of novel N- and carbene- type ligands, designed new transition metal complexes, and explored their application in electrochromic materials and materials for metal detection. 

Holly Fruehwald performed her undergrad studies in the Zenkina Lab (2015-2016). From 2017, she was a  PhD student under co-supervision of Drs. Zenkina and Easton. Holly developed new surface confined materials for selective metal ion sensing and electrocatalysis. After her PhD defense in 2022, Holly was awarded an NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship to work at the University of Waterloo.  

In winter 2024, Tony George was working on the development and optimization of effective screen-printing technologies for electrochromic materials and devices running a 3rd year student research project (co-supervised with Prof. E.B. Easton).

Kim thao Huynh joined the group in 2023 as a 4th year Honor thesis student  (co-supervised with Prof. E.B. Easton). Her work includes the synthesis of tris-terpyridine derivative and its metal complexes for electrochromic applications.

Hira Shoaib joined the Zenkina lab as a 4th year student of the Pharmaceutical Chemistry program in May 2022. She was working in the area of functional antimicrobial materials created on on conductive surfaces. 

Mariatou Tolo joined the group in 2023. Her project involves the synthesis of various N-aromatic compounds and their utilization as ligands for metal ions sensing through spectroscopic analysis. 

Yuqi  Zhou is a MITACS-2023 summer intern, visiting from Southeast University, P.R. China. Her research was focused on the development of Smart Self-Cleaning Antimicrobial Coatings.

Andres E. Perez-Hernandez, a summer intern for MITACS in 2023, visiting from Universidad de Guanajuato, Mexico. His research was focused on the development of coordination-based assemblies for the advancement of electrochromic, electro-optic, and photonic materials.

Jessica Cleghorn joined the Zenkina lab in the Winter 2022. During her Laboratory Techniques Course, she was developind electrochromic materials based on iron tri-terpyridine complex. She returned Fall 2022 to start her thesis project about nanocellulose-based conductive surfaces for smart molecular materials and successfully defended in 2023. 

Vittoria DiPalo joined the group in May 2021. She was developing double-sided electrochromic devices. Vittoria won the oral lecture award from CIC Materials Division at the 53rd Inorganic Discussion Weekend Conference and received the 1st place prize in the Surface Science Division Student Poster Competition at CSC-2023. 

Smruti Ranjan Biswal, a Summer Intern (under MITACS GRI 2022) from Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, worked on the development of novel supports for electrochromic and sensing materials.  

Lidiia Dubenska, a student from the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Ukraine visited our lab under MITACS 2022 program. During her internship, Lydiia worked on the synthesis of novel ligands. 

During 2020-2022, Mackenzie Bell was working on the synthesis of N-based ligands and studied their electrochemical properties. 

Levi J. Easton, gade 11 co-op placement student from Father Leo J. Austin Catholic Secondary School (Whitby), worked as a co-op lab assistant (2022), discovering durability of anti-microbial and electrochromic films. 

Rana Ahmad joined the group as a undergrad student in 2018. Her BSc project was focused on materials for energy storage applications. After successful graduation, she remained in the group as a Master student (2019-2022) developing symmetric electrochromic materials. 

During her undergrad studies, Adaobi Obua was was working on synthesis of N-aromatic ligands. 

Emily Laird was working on synthesis of molecular receptors for lead sensing (2020-2021). 

During 2020-2021, Peter Melino was modifying the surface of metal oxide supports with N-based ligands for the formation of oxygen reduction reaction catalysts. 

During her undergraduate project (2018-2019), Paola Canas worked on ligand design for detection and speciation of iron. 

Sulaiman Torakhel  worked on formulating of new paste for titanium dioxide silicon doped copper electrochromic material (2018-2019). 

Jacquelyn Egan joined our group in the winter of 2015. She was working on developing of novel strategies that utilize supramolecular interactions for assembly and disassembly of nanoparticles to form hybrid organic-organometallic materials in solution and a on hydrophilic TiO2, ITO, and SiO2 support. During her MSc she went on exchange as a QEScholar, at the University of Glasgow for Dr. Emily Draper Group. After successful defence of her MS thesis in 2019, Jacquelyn joined Dr. Draper’s group in University of Glasgow, Scotland, as a PhD Candidate. 

Yusra Ahmed was visiting M.Sc. student from Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, UK. Her one-year (2018-2019) project was focused on the development of novel electroluminescent materials. 

Andrew Hynes was working on the development of screen printing methodology for creating electrochromic materials, supercapacitors, and sensors (2019-2020). 

Jade Poisson was developing colorimetric sensors for the toxic metal ions. After graduation in 2018, she joined Prof. Zachary Hudson group (UBC) as a PhD Candidate. 

Sarah King was a visiting M.Sc. student from Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, UK. Her one-year (2017-2018) project was focused on the development of novel metal sensors. 

Stephen Kerr was working on the development of novel building blocks for preparation of functional sensing materials and self-assembled monolayers. 

Alexandra Deckert worked on the development of mercury sensors. 

Dr. Jesse Allan was a Postdoctoral Fellow co supervised with Prof. Brad Easton. In 2016-2017 he was developing novel organometellic materials for applications in clean energy conversion and storage, such as fuel cells, supercapacitors, and electrochromic devices. 

In 2017, Heather Geoffrey was worksing on metal-ligand integrated assemblies and electrochromic devices. 

Hannah Cusden was a visiting M.Sc. student from Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, UK. Her one-year (2016-2017) project was focused on self-assembled monolayers for electrochromic devices and of heavy metal detectors in water. 

In 2016, Brittany Loxton was working on one-pot multicomponent condensation reactions. 

In 2015, Scott Gillis was working on immobilization of ligands on TiO2 

In 2015-2016, Valerie Bartlett was designing gold nanoparticles stabilized by novel ligands. 

In 2014 Mr. Waleed Nusrat was working on synthesis of novel ligands for water splitting.