Welcome to the Vura-Weis Research Group!

We solve problems in energy, catalysis, and biology using advanced spectroscopic techniques such as tabletop x-ray transient absorption spectroscopy. See the research page for more details

Group Photo Summer 2023

GroupPhoto



News


01/2024

Jack is spending this semester at LCLS as a DOE SCGSR Fellow

12/2023

Thanks to the generosity of Drs. Ving and May Lee, we received a Discovery Fund grant for Peisen to develop sensitive new Raman techniqes to probe electrochemical intervaces. This is a new collaboration with the Rodriguez-Lopez group

10/2023

Kailyn and Maren join the group. Welcome!

06/2023

The whole group hosts ~500 scientists from around the world for the 76th International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy

06/2023

It's great to have fantastic collaborators: The VW lab is funded in two group grants, an AFOSR MURI on Chirality-Induced Spin Selectivity and an NSF MRSEC on photoionic materials

03/2023

Justin's paper on using nested potentials to enforce long-lived MLCT states is published in JACS

02/2023

The group's work is recognized with the Richard Van Duyne Early Career Award in Experimental Physical Chemistry

02/2023

Ni photocatalysts are even more amazing than we thought - read about the mixed-spin ground state in (dtbbpy)Ni(o-tol)Cl in Rachel's newly-submitted paper on ChemRxiv. Bonus: transient XANES at both the L and K edges!

12/2022

Our first collaborative work with the Ren group at Purdue is submitted: designing nested excited-state potential energy surfaces to prolong MLCT lifetimes in Fe(II) complexes. Check it out at ChemRxiv

12/2022

New element unlocked - Clare's paper on Ir photochemisty at the O3 and N6,7 edges is published in JPCA

12/2022

Laura and Jack travel to the LCLS free-electron laser to study the photophysics of iron porphyrins. We love XUV, but hard X-rays are cool too...

10/2022

Erin and Peisen join the group. Welcome!

08/2022

Clare's foundational work on XUV transient absorption spectroscopy of Ir photocatalysts is submitted, check it out on ChemRxiv

06/2022

Kori and Clare figure out why mu-oxo bisporphyin photocatalysts have such low quantum yields - see submitted paper at ChemRxiv

05/2022

Exciting month for the group: Aastha, Clare, Yusef defend their dissertations. Congratulations Drs. Sharma, Leahy, and Shari'ati!

11/2021

Yusef's paper on intersystem crossing in Co4O4 is accepted in PCCP

11/2021

Max Verkamp's paper on carrier-specific cooling rates in perovskites is accepted in JACS after a long ordeal. Thanks to Josh L. and Aastha for helping get this over the finish line!

10/2021

Brandon and Laura join the group!

10/2021

Yusef's paper on XUV sample prep in polymer films is published at J Sync Rad

09/2021

Clare's paper on new metal chloride complexes with inter- and intra-ligand H-bonding is published in Dalton Trans

09/2021

We are funded by AFOSR DURIP to build a new HHG system, which will allow us to probe S, P, and C core-level spectra in the 100-300 eV energy region. WOOHOO new lasers!

08/2021

Yusef's paper on XUV sample prep in polymer films is submitted, posted to arXiv

06/2021

Taylor joins us for the summer as a St. Elmo Brady scholar

06/2021

Kori Sye defends her dissertation, is now Dr. Kori Sye. Congrats Kori!

03/2021

Kris Benke defends his dissertation, is now Dr. Kris Benke. Congrats Kris!

03/2021

NSF CSDM-A funds our continuing work on photoinduced intersystem crossing in Fe and Co chromophores

10/2020

Grant and Justin join the group

10/2019

Lauren and Jack join the group

10/2019

Josh is selected as the winner of the 2019 Young Investigator Award from the Inter-American Photochemical Society. Thanks to the selection committee and especially my awesome group for all the fantastic work!

10/2019

Kaili and Ryan's paper on FeII spin crossover is accepted in JACS

08/2019

Ryan's paper on Co valence tautomerization is accepted in J Chem Phys

06/2019

Max's paper on fast hot-hole cooling in CH3NH3PbI3 is submitted!

06/2019

Ryan's paper on photoincuded valence tautomerism in Co complexes is submitted. Check it out on ChemRxiv!

06/2019

Kaili and Ryan's paper on fs spin crossover in Fe(phen)3 is submitted. Check it out on ChemRxiv!

06/2019

NiOEP paper is published!

06/2019

Max defends his thesis. Congratulations Dr. Verkamp!

04/2019

Liz defends her thesis. Congratulations Dr. Ryland!

04/2019

Liz's paper on NiOEP photophysics is submitted.

08/2018

Josh co-organizes a 4-day symposium at the ACS meeting on "Chemical Applications of Ultrafast X-ray/XUV Spectroscoph and Scattering". Thanks to Renske Van der Veen and Philippe Wernet for great teamwork setting this up.

08/2018

Kaili's work on simulating excited-state M- and L-edges is published. Congrats Kaili!

06/2018

Max's collaboration with the Neese group is published. Ab initio simulations of M edges FTW!

06/2018

The VW group is recommended for funding from DOE Catalysis Science. We are excited to use our tools to study molecular catalysts from femtosecond to second timescales.

06/2018

The VW group recieves funding from AFOSR Molecular Dynamics and Theoretical Chemistry. Thrilled to stay part of that program!

05/2018

Ming-Fu and Max's paper on femtosecond XUV and UED probes of PbI2 dynamics is included in the J Phys Chem A Virtual Issue on New Tools and Methods in Experiment and Theory

04/2018

Congratulations to Dr. Michaela Carlson for successfully defending her thesis, and for accepting a tenure-track job as an Assistant Professor at Northland College.

03/2018

Liz's paper on the photophysics of FeTPPCl is accepted to JACS!

03/2018

Josh receives "Teachers Ranked as Excellent" recognition for Chem 203 in Fall 2017.

02/2018

Kaili's paper on simulations of XUV/X-ray spectra of excited states is submitted

11/2017

PbI2 paper published in JPCC. Congrats to Ming-Fu and Max

10/2017

Clare joins the group. Welcome!

03/2017

Suds and Yusef win NSF Graduate Research Fellowships. Congrats!

03/2017

Our first time-resolved work is submitted, showing unique signals for electrons and holes in PbI2. Read it on arXiv. Congrats to Ming-Fu and the whole team!

02/2017

Josh receives a Sloan Fellowship

10/2016

Aastha, Kori, Ryan, and Yusef join the group! Hooray for additional fantastic grad students!

10/2016

Josh receives ACS PRF funding

08/2016

Ming-Fu's paper in JOSA B is selected as an "Editor's Choice"

08/2016

Josh gives a poster-prize talk at the Gordon Conference on Electron Donor-Acceptor Interactions. Liz and Kaili presented posters to rave reviews

08/2016

Kail's paper is accepted in J Phys Chem Lett, Ming-Fu's paper is accepted in J Opt Sci Am B, and Kaili's collaboration with Frank de Groot is accepted in J Synch Rad.

01/2016

Josh is recommended for an NSF CAREER award

10/2015

Suds and Sean join the group. We will take a new picture once the weather cooperates

08/2015

Josh presents our preliminary results at the Boston ACS conference and the Soft X-ray in Energy and Time workshop in Berlin

10/2014

Kris joins the group!

01/2014

First Funding! Josh is named an Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator

10/2013

Michaela, Liz, Max, and Kaili join the group as our first graduate students

10/2013

Josh's paper on XUV transient absorption of α-Fe2O3 is published in JPCL

09/2013

Dr. Ming-Fu Lin arrives, gets to work designing vacuum chambers

08/2013

Josh arrives at UIUC, begins to set up the lab

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