Dr.

Biography

The Engel Group at the University of Chicago focuses on exploiting femtosecond dynamics to manipulate and control excited state reactivity. Utilizing ultrafast spectroscopy, theoretical models, synthesis methods, and biophysical approaches, the group investigates the fundamental principles underlying nature’s designs that have evolved over 2.4 billion years to engineer excited state dynamics. This research includes examining the mechanisms of photosynthesis and photoenzymes and aims to isolate and identify new design principles that can be applied to control quantum dynamics. The group also addresses the challenges in photochemistry related to electronic excited states, which possess enough energy to break chemical bonds. By escaping the Born-Oppenheimer regime, they seek novel strategies to control reactivity in excited states. To facilitate these investigations, they are developing cutting-edge spectroscopic tools that will allow them to probe femtosecond dynamics in living cells, protein complexes, and small molecules, capturing unprecedented depth and specificity in their studies.

Research Interests

Experience