Duke chemist to speak on molecular design at UNM

University of New Mexico residents can attend a free public lecture on Nov. 6 featuring a distinguished chemistry professor from Duke University. The event marks the 17th annual Riley O. Schaeffer Endowed Lectureship, hosted by the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology.

Michael J. Therien will present a talk titled "Supermolecular Chemistry" at 4 p.m. in Room 101 of Clark Hall. The session is open to the general public and requires no ticket purchase. Therien serves as a distinguished professor of chemistry at Duke University.

Therien's research centers on designing complex molecular structures and nanoscale materials with specific optical and electronic traits. His laboratory has developed methods to engineer electro-optic functions. These functions support processes such as light harvesting, charge migration, and long-wavelength emission.

During the presentation, Therien will explain how supermolecular chemistry allows scientists to build materials with controlled optical, electronic, and magnetic properties. He will describe supermolecular chromophores, which are assemblies of light-absorbing components. These assemblies interact strongly to create properties that individual molecules lack. This interaction helps control energy and electrical charge movement, potentially advancing solar energy conversion, imaging, and spin-based electronics.

Therien completed his undergraduate studies at UCLA and St. Andrews University. He earned his doctorate at UCSD under the supervision of William Trogler. After a postdoctoral fellowship with Harry Gray at Caltech, he held a faculty position at the University of Pennsylvania as the Alan G. MacDiarmid Professor. His lab moved to Duke University in 2008.