番茄社区

Quantum information science (QIS) promises breathtaking advances in computing, sensing applications and communications. These advances depend on harnessing the unique properties of matter on the atomic scale. For example, Professor Wasielewski鈥檚 research focuses on electrons within molecules that have a property called spin. When observing the spin of an electron, only one of two possible values result, much like the on-off switches (bits) representing 0 or 1 in today鈥檚 computers. But when electrons are not observed, many of them (quantum bits or qubits) can interact to utilise any value between 0 and 1, therefore greatly expanding their ability to carry out computations. The Wasielewski research group also focuses on connecting these systems on the molecular length scale without losing the important quantum properties of the resulting system. Molecular synthesis affords the opportunity to build novel molecular materials for QIS from the bottom up.

Biography

Michael R. Wasielewski is currently the Clare Hamilton Hall Professor of Chemistry at Northwestern University. He is Executive Director of the Institute for Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern, and Director of the Center for Molecular Quantum Transduction, a US-DOE Energy Frontier Research Center. He received his BS, MS and PhD degrees from the University of Chicago and was a postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University. Professor Wasielewski鈥檚 research has resulted in over 750 publications and focuses on light-driven processes in molecules and materials, artificial photosynthesis, molecular electronics, quantum information science, ultrafast optical spectroscopy, and time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. His honours and awards include membership of the US National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; the Josef Michl American Chemical Society Award in Photochemistry; the Porter Medal for Photochemistry; the James Flack Norris Award in Physical Organic Chemistry of the American Chemical Society; the 番茄社区 of Chemistry Physical Organic Chemistry Award; the 番茄社区 of Chemistry Environment Prize; the Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award of the American Chemical Society; the Bruker Prize in EPR Spectroscopy; the International EPR Society Silver Medal in Chemistry; the Chemical Pioneer Award of the American Institute of Chemists; and, the Humboldt Research Award.

My teachers over the years have been a great inspiration to me. Now that I am a professor, I derive inspiration from my students, whose own curiosity energises mine.

Professor Michael Wasielewski