Physical Chemistry Seminar: Dr. Jacob Spies, University of California, Berkeley
Photo credits: Gregory Rutkowski
About the Seminar
"Controlling Materials at the Level of Electrons: A Journey in Ultrafast Science from Artificial Photosynthesis to Valleytronics"
Controlling materials at the level of electrons is an outstanding scientific challenge that is ubiquitous in applications ranging from energy conversion to information storage. The processes that govern the behavior of electrons often occur on ultrafast timescales, necessitating the use of short laser pulses to either probe or manipulate material properties. I will first briefly introduce my previous work using tunable metal oxide solid solutions to control electron transfer dynamics in artificial photosynthetic systems, which I studied using a variety of tools ranging from ultrafast transient absorption and time-resolved terahertz spectroscopy to facility-based X-ray spectroscopy. In the latter portion, I will describe how new methods in solid-state high harmonic generation (sHHG) spectroscopy can provide detailed insight into the electronic structure, topology, and symmetry of emerging materials. I will discuss recent efforts developing time-resolved sHHG spectroscopy to probe excitonic effects and valley polarization in MoSe2 in addition to the utility of sHHG spectroscopy in the study of electronic structure under extreme pressures in a diamond anvil cell. Finally, I will provide a brief outlook regarding applications of sHHG spectroscopy to contemporary problems in chemistry with an emphasis on development as an analytical-grade tool for all-optical electronic structure determination in the complex heterogeneous environments where chemistry occurs.
About the Speaker
Dr. Jacob A. Spies is currently an Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellow in Chemical Instrumentation at the University of California, Berkeley working with Prof. Michael Zuerch where he also serves as co-director for the California Interfacial Science Institute. Jacob earned his B.S. in Chemistry from The Pennsylvania State University in 2016 and his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Yale University in 2022 working with Prof. Charles Schmuttenmaer and Prof. Gary Brudvig. Jacob’s research seeks to develop and apply new spectroscopic tools to understand the dielectric environment at solid-liquid interfaces and how emergent quantum phenomena can be leveraged in next-generation materials for energy conversion and catalysis. To address these pressing challenges in quantum energy science, Jacob’s research will develop new analytical-grade tools for all-optical electronic structure imaging that are amenable to a variety of complex chemical environments.