The light that molecules emit and scatter may be used not only to study molecular structure and dynamics, but also to collect data of environmental and bio-medical importance. For example, we have developed ways of using molecular spectroscopy to measure temperature, pressure, viscosity, film thickness and composition as well as physiologically induced changes and interactions between biological molecules. We have also developed new hyper-spectral imaging instruments capable of seeing the distribution of chemical components in samples such as biological tissue, pharmaceutical formulations, engineering materials and natural minerals. By incorporating diode lasers, fiber optics and CCD array detectors we have obtained high quality Raman spectra and hyper-spectral images in less than 1 sec - fast enough for real-time bio-medical diagnostics, industrial process monitoring and automated recycling applications.

The influences of solvation on chemical process is a subject of great practical importance in applications such as protein chemistry, drug discovery, manufacturing automation and environmental management. Our efforts in this area are focused on building bridges between fundamental theory and experimental measurements in order to better understand and predict chemical processes in liquids. On the experimental side, we use laser spectroscopy to measure changes in the vibrational frequencies, rotational reorientation rates, and chemical equilibria and particularly the way in which these are affected by interactions between molecules in liquids. These are used to test theories, such as our "perturbed hard fluid" model, which predicts the effects of molecular interactions on chemical reactions and thermodynamic properties.

Research projects in our group may be purely experimental, purely theoretical, or some combination of both. In either case, we strive not only to do interesting and important research, but also to maintain a supportive and respectful working atmosphere which promotes satisfying and successful research experiences.