Physical Chemistry Seminar: Professor Jessica Anna, University of Pennsylvania
Physical Chemistry Seminar: Professor Jessica Anna, University of Pennsylvania (Host: Fang Liu)
**This seminar is only available for virtual attendance.**
"Elucidating Photoinduced Processes and Ultrafast Dynamics of Natural Light Harvesting Complexes and Model Systems"
About the Seminar
Photosynthetic organisms have developed the molecular level machinery to efficiently and effectively harvest solar energy. To accomplish this, they use natural multichromophoric assemblies called light harvesting complexes to absorb photons and transfer the excitation energy to reaction centers where charge separation can take place with a high quantum efficiency. Elucidating the mechanism of energy transfer and electron transfer in these complexes is essential to (1) understanding their high quantum efficiencies and subsequently (2) incorporating this information into design principles for artificial photosynthetic systems, photocatalysts, and organic photovoltaic materials. However, given the complexity of natural light harvesting complexes, there are still questions regarding the mechanism of energy and electron transfer in these systems. In this talk I will discuss our recent studies in this area where we apply ultrafast pump-probe and multidimensional spectroscopies in the visible and mid-IR spectral regions to photosystem I, a large natural light harvesting complex, and structurally simpler model systems that mimic specific properties of light harvesting complexes, including artificial light harvesting chromophores, isolated cofactors, and transition metal complexes. From our studies we gain insight into pathways of energy equilibration among different electronic states, information on solvation dynamics, and insight into how non-covalent interactions and spatial confinement can act to alter the properties and dynamics of molecules.
About the Speaker
Professor Jessica Anna is an Assistant Professor and Elliman Faculty Fellow in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania. Jessica received her B.S. from the University of Pittsburgh in 2006, where she worked with Prof. David Pratt. She then moved on to complete her Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Michigan in 2011 where she worked with Prof. Kevin Kubarych using two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy to investigate equilibrium dynamics. After completing her Ph.D. she worked with Prof. Greg Scholes at the University of Toronto as a postdoctoral fellow where she used two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy to investigate natural light harvesting complexes. In 2014, she joined the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania as an assistant professor. At Penn her work focuses on using ultrafast pump probe and multidimensional spectroscopies to investigate photoinduced processes and ultrafast dynamics of natural light harvesting complexes, light harvesting chromophores and isolated cofactors, and bioinspired systems. Since joining Penn she has received the DOE Early Career Award, NSF CAREER award, and the 2019 Sloan Fellowship.