Marcel graduated from the University of Manchester, England with a Ph.D. in Material Science. Following this, he completed a series of postdoctoral positions in the United States. First, at Georgia Tech, Marcel continued his work on nanomaterials using Raman spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. Marcel then went to Los Alamos National Laboratory where he used fluorescence and Raman microscopy to investigate the effects of different pre-treatments on wood and how to pre-treat them so they can be converted into biofuels.

Marcel later worked at Washington State University where he studied the phase transformation of graphite to diamond under shock compression. Marcel then relocated to Houston, Texas and worked in the private sector; first, as a project engineer in a materials testing lab, and then as a technical and sales support specialist at Olympus.