Bren Lab
@brenlab.bsky.social
Bioinorganic chemistry research group at the University of Rochester, USA. Studying bioinspired catalysis of energy-relevant reactions. Student-run account.
Shout-out to @karishma11.bsky.social for being awarded the Samuel A. and Ellen F. Lattimore Department Fellowship this year!! Huge congrats!! ✨🙌
October 19, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Shout-out to @karishma11.bsky.social for being awarded the Samuel A. and Ellen F. Lattimore Department Fellowship this year!! Huge congrats!! ✨🙌
Kudos to Alana Huynh for receiving the Robert and Marian Flaherty DeRight Department Fellowship this year!! Well done!!🥂👏
October 19, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Kudos to Alana Huynh for receiving the Robert and Marian Flaherty DeRight Department Fellowship this year!! Well done!!🥂👏
Cheering on Hafsa Irfan for her summer internship at Biogen, North Carolina, where she contributed to drug development and analysis. Way to go Hafsa!! 👏👩🔬
October 18, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Cheering on Hafsa Irfan for her summer internship at Biogen, North Carolina, where she contributed to drug development and analysis. Way to go Hafsa!! 👏👩🔬
Congrats @kayekuphal.bsky.social on an exciting collaboration with the @matsonlab.bsky.social, exploring some really cool cluster chemistry with electrocatalysis! 👏🎉
Check out their latest work here!
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Check out their latest work here!
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Proton Reduction with a Cobalt-Doped Thiomolybdate Cluster: A Structural and Functional Model of Co-Doped MoS2
A heterometallic thiomolybdate cluster, Cp*3CoMo2S4 (Cp* = 1,2,3,4,5-pentamethylcyclopentadienide) has been synthesized and identified as a molecular electrocatalyst for proton reduction in dimethylformamide. Compared with its homometallic congener (Cp*3Mo3S4), cobalt incorporation improves activity by lowering the overpotential for proton reduction, consistent with the contrasting catalytic performance of MoS2 and its Co-doped derivative. Isolation of the reduced form of Cp*3CoMo2S4 and subsequent reactivity studies provide insight into the reaction pathway. These findings establish Cp*3CoMo2S4 as a molecular model for extended sulfide materials.
pubs.acs.org
October 17, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Congrats @kayekuphal.bsky.social on an exciting collaboration with the @matsonlab.bsky.social, exploring some really cool cluster chemistry with electrocatalysis! 👏🎉
Check out their latest work here!
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Check out their latest work here!
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Proud of Maria Fernanda Lizarazo for earning a DAAD Scholarship and spending the summer doing research in Germany 🇩🇪 Welcome back to Bren Lab! ✨
October 17, 2025 at 12:45 AM
Proud of Maria Fernanda Lizarazo for earning a DAAD Scholarship and spending the summer doing research in Germany 🇩🇪 Welcome back to Bren Lab! ✨
Happy to share our recent publication presenting methods for photocatalytic hydrogen and carbon dioxide reduction using biomolecular catalysts! Check it out by following this link! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Evaluation of biocatalysts for artificial photosynthesis
Catalyzing the light-driven reduction of carbon dioxide and/or protons is an important approach to storing light energy in the form of chemical fuels …
www.sciencedirect.com
August 26, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Happy to share our recent publication presenting methods for photocatalytic hydrogen and carbon dioxide reduction using biomolecular catalysts! Check it out by following this link! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Congratulations to @karishma11.bsky.social for winning the Best Poster at Western New York Inorganic Symposium (WNYIS), 2025! 🎉🌟
August 16, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Congratulations to @karishma11.bsky.social for winning the Best Poster at Western New York Inorganic Symposium (WNYIS), 2025! 🎉🌟
End of summer picnic, Bren Lab style!! 👜🌳
And cheers to celebrating Alana's birthday!
And cheers to celebrating Alana's birthday!
August 13, 2025 at 9:44 PM
End of summer picnic, Bren Lab style!! 👜🌳
And cheers to celebrating Alana's birthday!
And cheers to celebrating Alana's birthday!
Happy to share our Nitrogen team's latest work on nitrate reduction with homogenous iron catalyst! 🎉
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Homogeneous Electrocatalytic Reduction of Nitrate by an Iron Complex in Water
An iron complex of the macrocyclic pyridine(diimine) ligand 2,13-dimethyl-3,6,9,12,18-pentaazabicyclo[12.3.1]octadeca-1(18),2,12,14,16-pentaene (FeN5H2) is demonstrated as a homogeneous electrocatalys...
pubs.acs.org
July 15, 2025 at 1:40 AM
Happy to share our Nitrogen team's latest work on nitrate reduction with homogenous iron catalyst! 🎉
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Alana sharing her exciting research at the CBI retreat 2025!
June 11, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Alana sharing her exciting research at the CBI retreat 2025!
End of Quals season celebration in the Bren Lab!
Alana and Karishma passed their 2nd year oral exam!!!🎉
Alana and Karishma passed their 2nd year oral exam!!!🎉
May 28, 2025 at 5:51 PM
End of Quals season celebration in the Bren Lab!
Alana and Karishma passed their 2nd year oral exam!!!🎉
Alana and Karishma passed their 2nd year oral exam!!!🎉
Reposted by Bren Lab
Congratulations Alana Huynh for winning the "Best Poster in Natural Sciences" at UofR's Graduate Research Day 2025. Way to go!🥳
April 4, 2025 at 1:10 AM
Congratulations Alana Huynh for winning the "Best Poster in Natural Sciences" at UofR's Graduate Research Day 2025. Way to go!🥳
Reposted by Bren Lab
I'm pleased to share our latest paper with our wonderful collaborators in the Lombardi lab on a biocatalyst for selective CO2 reduction: pubs.rsc.org/en/content/a...
Electrocatalytic CO2 reduction by a cobalt porphyrin mini-enzyme
Cobalt-mimochrome VI*a (CoMC6*a), a cobalt synthetic mini-enzyme with a cobalt porphyrin active site, is developed as a biomolecular catalyst for electrocatalytic CO2 reduction in water. The catalytic...
pubs.rsc.org
February 26, 2025 at 2:59 PM
I'm pleased to share our latest paper with our wonderful collaborators in the Lombardi lab on a biocatalyst for selective CO2 reduction: pubs.rsc.org/en/content/a...
Karishma and Shamitri representing Bren Lab at the Department's visitation week poster presentation! @karishma11.bsky.social
March 4, 2025 at 11:30 PM
Karishma and Shamitri representing Bren Lab at the Department's visitation week poster presentation! @karishma11.bsky.social
A huge shout out our amazing visiting student Serena from the Lombardi Lab, University of Naples for her time and hard work in the Bren lab! Your enthusiasm and positive energy have truly been appreciated. Wishing you all the very best for all your future endeavors!! 👏
December 9, 2024 at 7:42 PM
A huge shout out our amazing visiting student Serena from the Lombardi Lab, University of Naples for her time and hard work in the Bren lab! Your enthusiasm and positive energy have truly been appreciated. Wishing you all the very best for all your future endeavors!! 👏
Super excited to share our latest review on recent advances in engineered biocatalysts for hydrogen evolution and carbon dioxide reduction doi.org/10.1016/j.cb... by Ryan Kosko, Kaye Lin Kuphal and Alison Salamatian!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Engineered metallobiocatalysts for energy–relevant reactions
Engineering metallobiocatalysts is a promising approach to addressing challenges in energy-relevant electrocatalysis and photocatalysis. The design fr…
www.sciencedirect.com
December 9, 2024 at 7:26 PM
Super excited to share our latest review on recent advances in engineered biocatalysts for hydrogen evolution and carbon dioxide reduction doi.org/10.1016/j.cb... by Ryan Kosko, Kaye Lin Kuphal and Alison Salamatian!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Big congratulations to Kaye Lin Kuphal @kayekuphal.bsky.social on being selected as a leader in Research Safety as part of the ACS Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Scholars Recognition Program! 🎉
Your dedication to ensuring a safe and responsible lab environment is truly inspiring! #LabSafety #ACS
Your dedication to ensuring a safe and responsible lab environment is truly inspiring! #LabSafety #ACS
December 4, 2024 at 4:00 PM
Big congratulations to Kaye Lin Kuphal @kayekuphal.bsky.social on being selected as a leader in Research Safety as part of the ACS Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Scholars Recognition Program! 🎉
Your dedication to ensuring a safe and responsible lab environment is truly inspiring! #LabSafety #ACS
Your dedication to ensuring a safe and responsible lab environment is truly inspiring! #LabSafety #ACS
Hello world!
Bren Lab is now on Bluesky!
We focus on developing new molecules, engineered proteins and systems to catalyze energy & environment relevant reactions, drawing inspiration from Nature's own catalysts.
#chemsky #bioinorganic #UofR
Bren Lab is now on Bluesky!
We focus on developing new molecules, engineered proteins and systems to catalyze energy & environment relevant reactions, drawing inspiration from Nature's own catalysts.
#chemsky #bioinorganic #UofR
November 26, 2024 at 10:13 PM
Hello world!
Bren Lab is now on Bluesky!
We focus on developing new molecules, engineered proteins and systems to catalyze energy & environment relevant reactions, drawing inspiration from Nature's own catalysts.
#chemsky #bioinorganic #UofR
Bren Lab is now on Bluesky!
We focus on developing new molecules, engineered proteins and systems to catalyze energy & environment relevant reactions, drawing inspiration from Nature's own catalysts.
#chemsky #bioinorganic #UofR