Research Areas in The Engel Group at The University of Chicago
Primary Research Directions
The Engel Group chooses problems at the interface of theory and experiment where we can test our understanding of excited state dynamics. We look for new design principles to control chemical reactivity, and we often find our inspiration in biological systems. We create new spectrometers of our own design to reveal new dynamics and new organizing principles for steering chemical reactivity. We approach our problems through a careful balance of synthesis, spectroscopy, theory, and biophysics.
Recent Publications
S. Sohoni,* P.-J. Wu,* Q. Shen, L.T. Lloyd, C. Macgregor-Chatwin, A. Hitchcock, and G.S. Engel, "Resonant Vibrational Enhancement of Downhill Energy Transfer in the C-Phycocyanin Chromophore Dimer", JPCL 15, 11569–11576 2024.
P.-J. Wu,* S. Sohoni,* and G.S. Engel, "Vibrational Relaxation Completes the Excitation Energy Transfer and Localization of Vibronic Excitons in Allophycocyanin α84 - β84", JPCL 15, 11577–11586 2024
S. Sohoni,* I. Ghosh,* G.T. Nash, C.A. Jones, L.T. Lloyd, B.C. Li, K.L. Ji, Z. Wang, W. Lin, and G.S. Engel, "Optically accessible long-lived electronic biexcitons at room temperature in strongly coupled H- aggregates", Nat. Comm. 15, 8280 2024.
W. Zhen, D.W. Kang, Y. Fan, Z. Wang, T. Germanas, G.T. Nash, Q. Shen, R. Leech, J. Li, G.S. Engel, R.R. Weichselbaum, and W. Lin, "Simultaneous Protonation and Metalation of a Porphyrin Covalent Organic Framework Enhance Photodynamic Therapy", JACS 146, 16609–16618 2024
E. Fresch, F.V.A. Camargo, Q. Shen, C.C. Bellora, T. Pullerits, G.S. Engel, G. Cerullo, and E. Collini, "Two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy", Nature Reviews Methods Primers 3 84 2023.
I. Avdic, L.M. Sager-Smith, I. Ghosh, O.C. Wedig, J.S. Higgins, G.S. Engel, and D.A. Mazziotti, "Quantum sensing using multi-qubit quantum systems and the Pauli polytope", Phys. Rev. Research 5, 043097 2023.
S. Sohoni, L.T. Lloyd, A. Hitchcock, C. MacGregor-Chatwin, A. Iwanicki, I. Ghosh, Q. Shen, C.N. Hunter, and G.S. Engel, "The Phycobilisome's Exciton Transfer Efficiency Relies on an Energetic Funnel Driven by Chromophore-Linker Protein Interactions", JACS 145, 11659–11668 2023.
G. Lin, G.T. Nash, T. Luo, I. Ghosh, S. Sohoni, A.J. Christofferson, G. Liu, G.S. Engel, W. Lin, "Two-Dimensional Nanosonosensitizers Facilitate Energy Transfer to Enhance Sonodynamic Therapy", Advanced Materials, 35, 2212069 2023.
J.S. Higgins, A.R. Dardia, C.J. Ndife, L.T. Lloyd, E.M. Bain, and G.S. Engel, "Leveraging Dynamical Symmetries in Two-Dimensional Electronic Spectra to Extract Population Transfer Pathways", J. Phys. Chem. A 126 3594–3603 2022.
Our Affiliations
Our Funding
