Marcella Lusardi

Marcella Lusardi is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and the Princeton Materials Institute at Princeton University, leading interdisciplinary research at the intersection of materials synthesis, catalysis, and sustainability.

Her educational background includes:

• Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from MIT (2018)
• B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Columbia University (2012)

Dr. Lusardi's research focuses on designing advanced catalytic materials for environmental challenges, with core expertise in surface science, light-matter interactions, and complex materials processing. Her group develops natural and engineered materials for energy and sustainability applications, emphasizing CO₂ capture/reduction, pollution abatement, and photocatalysis through molecular-level catalyst design. The MatCat Lab integrates experimental techniques like NMR spectroscopy with computational guidance to create scalable solutions for closed carbon cycles and greener chemical processes.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications (2019-2025) reveals a dominant focus on zeolite-based catalysis for CO₂ conversion and carbonylation reactions, with growing emphasis on supramolecular assemblies and water-tolerant acid catalysts. Her work consistently bridges fundamental material properties with practical sustainability applications, showing progression toward integrated systems for direct air capture and light-mediated reactions.

The MatCat Lab employs a highly interdisciplinary approach centered on defect engineering in silica matrices and molecular recognition for supramolecular networks. Current projects target tailored reaction environments for CO₂ reduction and microplastic oxidation, utilizing advanced synthesis methods and structural elucidation to develop practical catalytic technologies for a sustainable future.