Department of Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University (2016-present)
Gompf Family Professor (2016-present)
Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, By Courtesy (2020-present)
Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, By Courtesy (2020-present)
Current projects involve questions pertaining to the diffusion of mesogens in colloidal suspensions and liquid crystals, fundamental advances in transition state theory, design principles for sustainable nanotechnologies, the dynamics of protein folding and rearrangement, and the design of autonomous computing materials.
Chemistry & Biochemistry, Georgia Tech (1996-2016)
Full Professor (2009-2016)
Associate Professor (2002-2009)
Assistant Professor (1996-2002)
Advanced nonequilibrium phenomenon with particular emphasis on dynamics in complex environments. For example, the extent to which microscopic reaction dynamics are affected by macroscopic or observable chemical reaction rates in arbitrary solvent environments. Sample systems include the dynamics of catalyzed reactions, adsorbate diffusion on metal surfaces and protein motions.
Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow (for Experienced Researchers)
Universitat Potstam (Fall 2006 & May 2008), visiting Prof. Dr. Peter Saalfrank
LMU Munchen (Spring 2007 & June 2008), visiting Prof. Dr. Erwin Grey
Chemistry Dept., University of Pennsylvania (1995-96).
Postdoctoral Fellow
advisor: Gregory A. Voth, now at U.Chicago
Worked towards a quantum path-integral centroid formulation of statistical mechanics, with emphasis on experimentally observable quantities such as time-dependent correlation functions.
Chemical Physics Department, The Weizmann Institute of Science (1994).
Feinberg Postdoctoral Fellow
advisor: Eli Pollak
Developed a semiclassical theory to describe activated dynamics in dissipative media, with particular emphasis towards understanding the tunneling effect on chemical reactions in solution. The primary tricks are the development of a hierarchy of Hamiltonians in which the normal-mode transformation is sequentially undone and the use of the semiclassical transition state formula developed earlier by Hernandez and Miller.
PhD. in Chemistry, University of California at Berkeley (1989-93).
National Science Foundation & AT&T CRFP Fellow
thesis: Application of Semiclassical Methods to Reaction Rate Theory
advisor: William H. Miller
Studied the dynamics of polyatomic chemical reactions. Specifically looked at the distributions of unimolecular decay rates at energies near threshold and at a semiclassical transition state theory describing the tunneling probabilities of reactions. (Administered and maintained a heterogeneous cluster of UNIX work-stations.) AND I managed to collect a PhD in Theoretical Chemistry for my troubles.
Senior Technical Associate at AT&T Bell Laboratories (1989).
advisors: John C. Tully and Rob Tycko.
Summer Research Associate at AT&T Bell Laboratories (1988).
advisor: Lou Manzione.In 1989, studied the spectra of a large number of spin 1/2 particles coupled through dipole-dipole interactions in a zero field region.
In 1988, conducted experiments and performed numerical simulations to elucidate the flow of thermoset polymers important to the encapsulation of microchips.
B.S.E in Chemical Engineering , and Mathematics, Princeton University (1985-89).
thesis: Rigorous Bounds for the Ionization Potential of the Hydrogen Molecule
advisors: Charles Fefferman and Pablo Debenedetti.
Also worked with Kevin Lehmann in the Chemistry Dept.Studied the effect of crossing Poisson distributed energy levels – a signature of quantum integrability – to a series of “bright” states through Gaussian distributed couplings, thereby introducing “chaos.” Studied the effect of missing and spurious energy levels on the statistics of these ensembles. Conducted FTIR spectroscopy experiments on the deuterated ammonia isotopomers, and worked on their assignment.Hialeah High School, FL. (1982-85).
Investigated the relative lipid concentrations in samples from CF patients at the nearby Mailman Center.